A New Partnership
by TaliVarda100706
Summary: Stefan and Rebekah team up and continue the search for the Cure together. While forming a new partnership, old times are remembered... and relived. Story is set during/after 4x11 and will continue from there. Chapter 8 is up!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! So this is the first story I've ever published: reviews and critisisms are very welcome(but...don't be too mean ok?;))**

**I also wanna say that I'm Dutch, so if your native language is english I'd love to hear how I can improve my english(because I'm stubborn as hell I refused to use a dictionairy so maybe there are words I've repeated too many times?XD) **

**This chapter is NOT rated M, CH 2 will be. Started writing this cuz I just loved Stefan and Rebekah in 4x11. Enjoy!**

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After Elena leaves, he merely stands there thinking about the conversation they just had. He isn't sure at first, not sure about his words, about the things he said to the girl he was so sure he would love for the rest of his existence. Was it just a spur of the moment thing? Did he tell her he doesn't love her anymore because he wanted to hurt her? But most importantly:

Did he mean it?

He takes a couple of minutes to ponder those questions. He feels confused as he stands in the dim light, alone in the hallway of his house. The shadows dancing on the walls and the color shades of the dark wood and paintings reminds him of something else that happened here with Elena. It's the hallway where he shared such a beautiful moment with her less than two years ago. His mind goes back to that night, the night they first made love, the first time she'd seen his true face. But it doesn't hurt as much as he expected.

Because she isn't that girl anymore.

The girl she's now is not the real Elena, not the girl he fell so hopelessly, undeniably in love with.

That's when he realizes that he really is over her… over the girl she is now at least. Because he didn't fall in love with this girl. Everything he loved about her, her warmth, her strength, her ability to always be accepting and understanding towards people, her devotion to her loved ones, is long gone.

_I'm done_, Stefan says to himself. He is surprised when he realizes that it's not a lie.

_I'm done._

He knows he'll always love that girl, that girl that he knows is the real Elena. The Elena that never wanted to be a vampire, that would've felt disgusted with herself if she'd known that there would be a day that she's feed of humans and not think twice about it. The Elena that would've always stayed with Jeremy to protect him from harm.

He feels strangely calm and confident in his new-found truth. It's scaring him on a certain level, to know that he doesn't really care anymore. He knows that if he stops caring completely he'll probably start drinking human blood again. And then he would end up becoming _him_ again.

The Ripper.

_That can't happen_, Stefan thinks resolutely and his brow furrows and his jaw locks in silent determination. He doesn't want innocent people to get hurt; it's why he went to save Jeremy tonight. He doesn't ever want to lose touch with his human side, his compassion again.

_Besides, _he tells himself while a quiet chuckle escapes him,_ Caroline would slap me silly if I'd start drinking blood again._ He then takes a moment to think about the ever happy, chipper, bouncing blonde and suddenly he feels a wave of emotion coming over him. There's gratitude and pride and awe, but most of all there's love.

To him, Caroline is a real hero. She's the only one who's never lost sight of who she is. _Even though after everything she has been through, she has every right to go a little crazy_,_ like everyone else did at one point._ Stefan makes a mental note to tell Caroline sometime, tell her what she means to those in her life, what she means to him. He wants to tell her that everything she does for him and all her friends is far from ordinary, because it not. It's probably a whole lot more drama than most people could handle. It's going to have to wait until tomorrow though, first he has to finish handling today's developments concerning the search for the cure.

Stefan sighs and looks around. He realizes he is still standing in the same place as when Elena left. He is quiet for a moment as he focuses on the sounds coming from the basement. He can just barely make out Damon's shallow breathing. Stefan closes his eyes in concentration and hears that, although shallow, Damon's breathing is even and light. He's probably sleeping. Admittedly, Stefan kind of got a kick out of snapping Damon's neck'. Where human brothers might throw a punch now and then, breaking your brother's neck or staking him is the vampire equivalent of a sibling fight. Breaking Damon's neck was a good way of channeling his irritation of the past few days. He's glad that Damon is locked up and asleep though, that way he won't have to worry about neither Damon nor Jeremy tonight.

With that thought, Stefan turns around and heads upstairs to his bedroom to fresh up a bit, maybe do some writing about the events of the day. As he steps in to his softly lit room, he goes straight for the table where he knows his journal is lying. The urge to write all the thoughts and ideas this day has put into his head down, is hard to resist. They're practically begging to be unraveled, to be put on paper. Writing has always helped him make sense of his mind. Thoughts and feelings that cloud his judgment by freely spinning and twirling around in his head are captured and put in perspective when he writes them down. His hands go through books and journals but he doesn't find what he is looking for. Frowning because he doesn't find his journal where he was sure he put it last night he…

Rebekah was reading it this morning.

_Of course it's not where you put it last night, _he mockingly says to himself. Stefan takes a moment to think but quickly remembers that she left it on his bed. He takes the few steps towards his bed, picks up the brown leather book and carries it to his desk. As he sits down and opens the journal to find a new page, he realizes that maybe he shouldn't write down what happened today.

What if anyone else reads about him partnering up with Rebekah? Damon and Elena have read his journals before after all. And it's not like he hides them or locks them in a safe when he leaves his room. Stefan leans back in his desk chair and shakes his head lightly. He stretches his muscular body before sighing deeply and closing his journal without having written a single word. It saddens him, not being able to trust those around him, but for now he just can't. He stands up and goes to his bathroom.

After putting on some more deodorant, he washes his hands and splashes some cold water in his face, which makes him feel pretty fresh again. He reaches for a towel and as he dries his face, his mind starts to wonder of.

Rebekah.

Working together with her seemed like the best option after everything that happened at the school. It was the best of the worst sort of speak. They were sharing the last place in the race for the cure and Stefan had been sure that he could bond with her over the fact that they both had brothers who weren't very trustworthy… and that was being polite especially in her case.

As he stares at himself in the mirror he realizes how wrong he was. It wasn't the least terrible option; it was the unforeseen best option. _It's not that I forgot how good we were when we were together in the twenties_, Stefan realizes_, I have just always attributed our…thing… to the fact that I was a Ripper and not myself._ Today taught him that maybe he was a Ripper in the twenties, but that was just a part of himself that he rejected instead of accepting it. Because he now knows that it is in fact a part of him.

But Rebekah, she just gets it. She doesn't tell him that it isn't him. She accepts that his dark side is as real as his good side. She also knows how hard it is to keep those two sides of you balanced, especially after getting hurt over and over by the very people who were supposed to never make you feel pain. Stefan swallows when he realizes that he actually had fun today. For the first time in a long time. She made him laugh a little, made him admit that they had fun in the twenties, they even got high in Shane's office and he had enjoyed just hanging out with her. And then, just before that guy came in looking for the headstone…

He looks up and stares at himself in the mirror again. And as his hands come up to grip the sink as if to brace himself for something, he remembers what Rebekah said.

_-'We just did what felt good'. _

_S_he was right, he was right.

Being with her had been good. The sex had been good.

Hell scratch that, sex with Rebekah was epic.

Perfect.

Crazy.

_-'Stop caring.'_

Why DID he still care about whether or not it was a good idea?

Stefan's head drops down and he closes his eyes.

'Just do what feels good,' he murmurs to himself.

It only takes him a few moments to figure out what he wants. He's out of the bathroom, out of his bedroom in a few seconds. Downstairs, Stefan puts on his leather jacket and heads out to see Rebekah.


	2. Chapter 2

**A big THANKS to the AWESOME people who left reviews and those who favorited/are following my story!**

**This chapter is the extended version of the last Stefan/Rebekah scene and takes place after chapter 1. Cuz let's face it: we all wanted it to be longer XD. I think it's obvious this chapter earns the M-rating, but still wanted to warn you. The whole Stebekah relationship is really growing on me, so I just hope that the writers keep them together(at least for a while) and don't make Stefan betray her again. PLEASE REVIEW?! Love to hear any ideas/criticisms.**

**Enjoy! ;-)**

Rebekah is in her room, drinking a cocktail to calm herself down. Which, after her run in with Kol, was very much needed. The total unexpected nature of Kol's attempt to kill her, knocked her of balance for sure. He'd tricked her by telling her she was just as bad as Niklaus because he knew Rebekah would hesitate. Kol knew she hated Nik for daggering them, daggering her, whenever he felt like he couldn't control their actions anymore. Once again someone had betrayed her by using her feelings against her.

Suddenly a sound catches Rebekah's attention. The front door opens and then closes again. Following that sound, are footsteps heading towards the stairs. She immediately knows who it is, because she knows him too well not to recognize his gait.

_Stefan._

Rebekah's not sure what he's doing here this late, but when she looks up into the mirror that's hanging above the dresser in front of her, she notices that the corners of her mouth are turning up into a little smile. She has to admit that she likes his company, even though he's the reason behind her being daggered by her brother not so long ago. It's different with him; Stefan didn't do it for himself. So she stands in front of the mirror, takes a deep breath and another sip out of her glass while waiting for Stefan.

Stefan's walking down the hallway, following the sound of Rebekah's breathing. Without any hesitation he walks through her bedroom door. Upon entering, he looks at her, a quick nod and eyebrow raise serving as a greeting. Rebekah looks at him briefly before returning to her former position as hands come up to unfasten the necklace she's wearing.

'Sure, just barge right in'.

'Oh I thought not knocking was our thing,' Stefan replies, pushing his hands the pockets of his jeans as he continues to walk further into Rebekah's room. Then, as he turns around he says: 'you didn't dagger Kol.'

'Well, the white oak stake pointed at my heart made things a little difficult.' She's not about to tell Stefan what really made it so hard, she is the one who told him to stop caring after all.

Stefan just makes a sound by way of letting her know he understands. Rebekah's finished taking of one of her earrings and turns around to face him.

'I do believe my brother Kol has finally lost his mind,' she says with an attempt to smile.

'Well that's alright, Jeremy is still alive and I took care of Damon.' Stefan walks towards Rebekah while he speaks, eying her up and down as subtle as he can, hoping she already understands his real reasons for coming here.

Stefan's slightly disappointed when Rebekah just turns her back to him again to remove her other earring.

'So where did you put it?' He asks her then and this causes Rebekah to face him again.

'The headstone? Someplace safe.'

'Wasn't really are deal,' Stefan remarks, although he realizes he doesn't really care right now.

'Well considering you've betrayed me twice, and I've betrayed you never, I think I'm acting prudently. Especially since we have no idea why that guy was looking for it.' Rebekah walks to stand right in front of Stefan. Her tone is challenging just like her body language. They both look at each other, knowing what they want, reading it in the other one's eyes. They want to finish what they started in Shane's office earlier today, but they're not quite ready yet…

They're silent for a brief moment and Stefan's swallows and he can't help himself: he looks down from her face and just for a second let's his eyes take in that gorgeous body of hers. Stefan then looks up and stares into Rebekah's eyes once again. The tension between them keeps building and building due to the heated looks they exchange.

'Did you work things out with Elena?' Rebekah asks with a small, sexy smile.

'Do you care?' Asks Stefan in reply, his eyes darkening with want.

'Nope. Just trying to figure out why you're here.' She knows why he's here of course. Stefan's like an open book to her, but she just wants to hear him say it.

'You even have to ask?'

That puts another little smile on Rebekah's face as the tension keeps building, making them both feel like there's electricity coursing through their veins, desperately trying to find a way to get out…

'No feelings. No attachments,' Rebekah says, still staring deeply into Stefan's eyes as he comes to stand even closer to her.

'None.'

Stefan leans in, his lips only a few inches away from Rebekah's.

'Whatsoever.'

With that, Stefan's mouth comes crashing down on hers, completely possessing her. Rebekah's hands come up to grab onto his face, pulling him closer because she wants more of him, his mouth and his body. She has Stefan out of his jacket in a flash, and he pushes her down on her bed a second later.

Stefan feels Rebekah's hands in his hair while he uses his body to press her even further into the mattress. He grabs onto her face as she forces him back up so she can undo his belt. As soon as she's done with that, Stefan makes her lie back down again, deepening their kiss. He sucks on Rebekah's full bottom lip, making her moan and writhe beneath him. It feels incredible and surprisingly natural, being like this with each other. When Stefan starts kissing her neck and hot, wet tongue find her most sensitive spot, Rebekah can't help but react to it. 'Mmm, oh that feels so good…' Rebekah pants whilst letting her head tips back in reaction to whatever it is that Stefan's doing to her neck.

Stefan lets out a low growl as he works his way up to her mouth again, sucking and kissing her skin as he goes. 'I haven't forgotten what to do, to make you beg for me to take you,' he whispers sexily in her ear and he smiles his smug, ripper-like smile before capturing the beautiful blonde's lips with his own. Rebekah fiercely kisses him back. They're perfectly in sync, just like they used to be back in the 20's. Suddenly, Rebekah pushes them both of the bed. She moves them to the opposite side of the room, using her vampire speed.

The wall Rebekah slams him into is anything but soft. Stefan feels his back and shoulders protest in pain when Rebekah pushes him against it without a warning. He can't hold back a painful groan, even though he tries not to react too much. But for him, it's not a bad kind of pain, which doesn't go unnoticed by Rebekah when she pushes her body against his and feels the growing bulge in his jeans.

'That will teach you to talk to a lady like that,' Rebekah says with a seductive smile. She grabs onto Stefan's wrist and pins them down to his sides.

'Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't realize there was a lady in here.' With a smile, Stefan stares into Rebekah's eyes and he is sure that his own express the same need and want he notices in hers. She doesn't answer, but merely smiles back, before releasing Stefan's wrists and moving her hands to the hem of his shirt. Rebekah pulls it up and over Stefan's head, exposing his muscular torso. After throwing the shirt to the ground, she quickly removes his already unbuckled belt and teases Stefan by giving his package a light squeeze over his now almost too tight pants, causing Stefan to groan loudly. Rebekah moves her hands and lips over Stefan's skin, tasting him and carefully exploring every single bit of exposed skin, using her strength to keep him from moving whenever he starts to shift.

When Rebekah finally stands up straight and looks at Stefan, she's very pleased with what her hands and tongue have accomplished. He's a mess. An incredibly hot, sexy, mess, full of desire and want. When she stops torturing him with that delicious mouth of hers, Stefan opens his eyes. He feels like he's going to go crazy if he doesn't get to touch her, ravish her very soon. But then, Rebekah pulls his mouth to hers again and he let's go completely.

There's no more time for foreplay, no more teasing required to make them want one another. They use their vampire speed to undress each other. First Stefan gets Rebekah out of her shirt, skirt and heels, leaving her in her bra and panties before he kicks off his own shoes and moves them back to her bed. While their tongues are battling for dominance and their hands are roaming each other's bodies without pause, they rip off the rest of the offending pieces of fabric, leaving them completely naked.

Rebekah revels in the feeling of Stefan's naked form on top of her. His warm mouth aggressively claiming hers, sucking on her lip or playing with her tongue. His strong hands either massaging and playing with her breasts or tangled in her long, blonde hair, everything Stefan does to her makes her desire for him grow. She now desperately wants to feel him inside of her. A low moan escapes Stefan's lips when he feels Rebekah's hand slipping around his hard cock. 'Mmm, it seems I remember some things to make you want me too,' she whispers in his ear as she slowly starts to move her hand up and down his shaft, making him grow even harder.

It's too much for Stefan to handle. His body is aching for some sort of release, his skin is overly sensitive due to being a vampire but on top of everything, she's been turning him on all day and he just can't wait any longer. He moves one hand from her firm, supple breasts down to her center. When he feels Rebekah's already wet and more than ready to be taken, he positions himself a little better between her legs. Rebekah stops jerking him off and opens her legs a bit more, giving Stefan more room to maneuver. She then guides him to her entrance and eases him inside of her, causing them both to moan with pleasure.

Stefan holds still for a moment when the enters her, his barely coherent brain telling him that maybe he should give Rebekah some time to adjust to him, but she already anticipated this. 'Don't you dare stop,' Rebekah pants while grabbing Stefan's face, making sure he's looking at her when she whispers with a seductive smile, 'just fuck me.'

Growling lowly at her words, Stefan obliges to her request gladly. He starts thrusting into her using his vampire speed. Pulling out almost completely before pushing himself in, deeper and deeper, making them both moan loudly at the ecstatic feeling. Rebekah brings her long legs up to wrap around Stefan's waist, squeezing him tighter to her. She pulls his mouth down to hers and they swallow each other moans as they kiss; sloppy and wet, hungry and delicious. Stefan's hands are roaming her body, getting reacquainted with the wonderful curves of the gorgeous blonde sighing and moaning beneath him.

Without a warning, Rebekah flips them over so she on top of Stefan, straddling his hips and taking control. She nudges his shoulders, signaling him to sit up. Holding on to his strong shoulders, Rebekah positions herself over his hardness and takes him in deeply, biting her lip at the overwhelming feeling of having this insanely hot man inside of her again. Stefan's looking up at her with hunger showing in his eyes, taking her in her body. Rebekah biting down on her lip, the jiggle of her breasts as she starts to move up and down, her hands scratching his back and shoulders, is almost enough to make him cum. He forgot how good it was, being with a vampire, with her, this way. All the positive qualities about being a vampire somehow seem to merge together and make sense when having sex: the magnified emotions and feelings, the sensitivity of his skin and other senses and last but not least, being able to let go and be himself. Stefan knows he doesn't have to be in control of his lust, his urges, his body. He knows that it doesn't matter if he loses control, because he can't hurt Rebekah. All he has to do is enjoy himself, and he definitely does.

'God… this feels…so good,' Stefan groans while grabbing onto Rebekah's hips and helping her maintain her crazy, fast rhythm. All she can do is moan and agree with him, feeling herself getting closer and closer to a mind-blowing orgasm as every one of his thrusts gives her more pleasure than the one before. Stefan is close too, she can tell from the increasing volume of the low growls coming from deep within him and his hands pushing her down on him with brutal force. Rebekah simply can't hold on any longer, she stops fighting and lets him fuck her into oblivion. As her whole body is contracting and shaking in that heavenly way, her fangs descend and she sinks them into Stefan's shoulder, knowing this will drive him over the edge too.

The combination of her walls clenching even tighter around him and the sharp pain in his shoulder caused by Rebekah's bite, triggers his orgasm, and he comes hard, spilling his seed deep inside of her with a loud scream.

Stefan falls back onto the bed, bringing Rebekah with him. They're both panting heavily, unable to move of speak, or think for that matter. The intensity of their lovemaking, even though they've done it before, leaves them both a little speechless.

So they just lie there on her bed for a while, slowly breathing in and out to get their heartbeats back to normal. Stefan puts his arms a little more around her. Rebekah nuzzles his neck and carefully kisses away the small amount of blood that escaped before the little puncture holes disappeared again.

When Stefan comes back down from what feels like heaven, he sighs and then chuckles quietly. It vibrates through his entire body and causes Rebekah to sit up a bit, so she can look at him.

'What's so funny?' She's confused but also enjoys the smile that decorates Stefan's beautiful face.

'Nothing. Just uh…' He brings his hands up to brush her blonde curls out of her face, still smirking at her.

'What?'

'You are definitely crazy.'

Rebekah returns his smile upon hearing his words. She then gets off of Stefan and moves to get of the bed. 'You want a drink?' She asks him.

'Are you trying to get away from me already?' He raises his eyebrows at her, pretending to be offended.

'Nope. Just thinking maybe I should give you a moment before we get to round two…'

He has her back on the bed in a flash, surprising her completely. 'A normal guy might need a moment,' He says, kissing hungrily down her jaw,' but uh… how did you put it again? Oh, right.' He pulls his lips away from her skin and comes up to look into her eyes.

'I am hardly the model of sanity.'


	3. Chapter 3

**THANKYOU to all the people who reviewed, favorited or are following this story! 3**

**So this is something that came to mind after watching 4x12. I actually studied for school for a change, so that's the reason for being absent the past weeks and being so late with the next chapterXD **

**I figured Stefan should go to Rebekah to tell her everything and comfort her, since her homicidal brother Kol did just die. I'm ignoring everything that happened in 4x13/4x14 because I think that the writers aren't going to explore Stebekah's relationship and I really think they should, especially since Elena is getting a worse character ep. after ep.(seriously what happened to the girl from S1/2? O right, Damon happened). Rebekah is perfect for Stefan now, so I'm taking it upon myself to explore the possibilities of their relationship.**

**Please take a few seconds to REVIEW! **

The Mark is finally complete.

Stefan can't believe they actually have a map to the Cure. Klaus is locked up, due to Bonnie's very nice piece of magic and professor Shane has to work with them because they have the headstone. Everything is falling into place.

Well, maybe not _everything_. There's still the matter of finding the Cure of course. And the unidentified other team that also appears to be trying to find it. And Elena is still all robotic and sired. And he was still fighting with his brother…

Stefan stops his train of thought and tells himself that focusing on unsolved problems isn't going to get him anywhere. It's exactly what pushes him to flip the switch and turn his humanity off and he doesn't want that, he doesn't want that at all.

He doesn't want to be where he's now anymore either.

They've been talking, making concrete plans ever since Jeremy's mark completed. They've covered pretty much everything and Stefan just wants to get up and leave, partly because he finds it difficult to be around Damon and Elena, partly because he wants to go over to Rebekah's, to see how she's doing and to tell her about the recent developments. He knows that the rest of the group, especially his brother and Elena won't be pleased with that.

_Oh what the hell_, he says to himself, _I'm not going to take their wishes into account. I'll just do what feels good. _That seems to have become his mantra, but it's working for him. It's keeping him sane. Stefan gets up: 'Well I gotta get going, I have some things I need to take care of,' he calls over his shoulder, while walking towards the front door. He hears Damon making some sort of sarcastic remark, but Stefan chooses to simply ignore it. He knows why Damon is acting like this; he's insecure about his relationship with Elena and taking it out on people around him. That's nothing new to Stefan, he's seen it all before.

Rebekah is sitting curled up like a cat in the corner of a couch in the living room when Stefan walks in to her house. She's sipping on a drink and Stefan wonders how many she's had already. Drinking alone and being hurt is not a good combination, he knows that from experience and Stefan's glad that he decided to come here. Rebekah doesn't react to him though, in fact she doesn't seem like she'd react to anything right now. Rebekah looks like she might still be in shock from all the events of the past few days, maybe it's just become too much to handle. Stefan knows that she heard him, Rebekah probably heard him way before he was even close to the house. So Stefan just walks further into the room, assuming she'll tell him to get lost if she wants to.

She doesn't.

He grabs a random bottle of liquor from a side table before making his way over to Rebekah and sit down next to the beautiful blonde who's still just sitting there with moist eyes, staring at nothing, probably planning on drinking until the pain stops. But also knowing that it never will.

_Caring sucks_, Stefan thinks bitterly._ It really, truly, sucks_.

With that thought stuck in his head, he opens the bottle of alcohol and brings it up to his mouth, not even bothering to get a glass. He's pretty sure the bottle is soon going to be empty anyway. After downing a fair amount of what he finally identifies as scotch, Stefan extends the arm holding the bottle and pours some more into the glass Rebekah's holding.

'Thanks.'

_She's saying thank you now? _Stefan thinks with a feeling of surprise and just a tad of worry, _now I know she's really feeling like crap._

Stefan clears his throat as he settles back against the couch, turning his body towards Rebekah so he can study her face and body language. 'How are you holding up?' Stefan asks her in a soft voice. Rebekah refuses to look at him, she doesn't want Stefan to see the tears that still remain in her eyes, doesn't want him to know she _cares. _'Fine I guess,' she sighs before she empties her glass and holds it out to Stefan so he can fill it with the much needed alcohol. He complies to her silent, but not very subtle request, without taking his eyes off Rebekah, which of course doesn't go unnoticed by her.

'Why are you looking at me like that Stefan?'

'Because I can tell when you're lying too Rebekah. Because I know you only say that you're fine when you're not fine. Because your brother tried to kill you last night and now he's dead. Take your pick.' Stefan stops looking at her and instead drinks some more scotch, knowing she won't admit she's not fine. Not yet anyway.

Stefan decides to fill Rebekah in on the plan for finding the Cure instead. He tells Rebekah about Klaus and about what they've been planning at the Salvatore's house tonight. 'And I want you to come with me, with us, tomorrow,' ends Stefan his report of the events of the day. 'You should be there, you deserve to be there.' He looks to his left where Rebekah is now finally looking at him, still looking sad but she nods and smiles appreciatively upon hearing Stefan's words.

'I'd like that,' Rebekah says. She can tell Stefan really wants her to come, really thinks that she deserves it, deserves to be human and to get the life that she wants. It means a lot to her, to know that Stefan thinks about her this way, even though she won't admit that. She drinks the remaining alcohol in her glass, puts it aside and sits up. Her back against the arm-rest of the couch, Rebekah looks at Stefan now, much like the way he's was looking at her earlier. Frowning when she notices the tension in Stefan's form, she asks: 'what's up with you? And don't even think of saying there's nothing wrong because I know when you're lying.' That causes Stefan to smile that beautiful smile of his, something that Rebekah loves seeing him do because he doesn't smile nearly as often as she'd want him too. 'Oh just uh…,'Stefan shakes his head lightly, looking at the ground, not sure what to say. 'You know…' He laughs bitterly and Rebekah can see the shadow of the Ripper in Stefan's eyes and in the smile that's dominating his handsome features now, so different from the one that occupied his face only seconds before. That part of him that is always lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to take over his mind. Rebekah knows how much Stefan hates that part of himself and even though she enjoyed it last night, when Stefan's ripper-side was helping him do all kinds of delicious things to her body, she just wants him to feel good about himself right now.

Without thinking, Rebekah slides closer to Stefan, until she can put an arm around him and rest her head on his shoulder, hiding her face against his neck and collarbone, taking in his delicious scent. Stefan's body tenses because Rebekah's action surprises him, it's not like her to be comforting, but he doesn't say anything nor does he move away. Gradually he's able to relax and find comfort in Rebekah's touch. Stefan turns his head towards hers and lightly kisses her hair, his left arm coming up to encircle her waist, his fingers drawing slow circles along her side. Rebekah answers his kiss by brushing her lips against the most sensitive spot of Stefan's neck, just below his ear. Stefan can't help but smile a little when a shiver travels down his spine; Rebekah always did know him and his body very well.

Stefan then turns his head so he can look at Rebekah, in an attempt to read her, only to realize that their lips are now perfectly aligned and there's merely an inch between them…

The look they share, the strong emotions they've been experiencing these past few days combined with being a vampire and the sensitivity that comes with the territory, makes the intensity of the moment almost too much to handle. They keep staring into the other's eyes, seeing every feeling, every thought and doubt and fear on their faces as the tension between them builds quickly. After what feels like hours, although Stefan is sure it's actually only seconds, Rebekah slides her left hand up his body and rests it over his hart. She then focuses her beautiful blue eyes on Stefan's green ones again, and finally he leans forward to close the distance between their lips.

They kiss sweetly for a while. It's not aggressive and demanding like the night before, it's slow and soft, yet somehow it feels more passionately than yesterday. Stefan pulls Rebekah closer, his left arm still securely around her waist, his right hand now up in her long blonde curls while teasing her lips with his tongue. Rebekah sighs contently and opens her mouth eagerly, allowing Stefan to kiss her deeper. Rebekah's hands are roaming Stefan's drop dead gorgeous body, feeling his muscles flex beneath her fingers. Without breaking their kiss, Rebekah shifts her body to straddle Stefan's lap, her hands resting on his shoulders for support as she does so.

Stefan lets out a quiet moan from the feeling of Rebekah sitting on top of him. He slides his hands down to her hips and presses her closer to him, his body desperate for more physical contact. Stefan's lips travel away from Rebekah's mouth and she begins to breathe heavily as he nips and licks her neck, as far down as he can go without any clothing being in the way. Rebekah feels like she's losing every sense of reality, so lost is she in the feeling of Stefan's hot mouth on her body. Her hands are in his hair now, forcing him to stay where he is and to keep doing what he's doing.

'Is upstairs okay?' Stefan murmurs, barely audible against her skin and interrupting his lips' sensual attack on Rebekah's neck for a brief moment.

'Sure, was last night, why not now?' Rebekah whispers in his ear before pulling Stefan's face to hers and planting a kiss on his mouth.

'I just…It's different this time.' Stefan doesn't even realize the truth of his statement until he says the words out loud. He surprises himself and Rebekah too, judging by the fact that she pulls back so she can focus on his face and take in the sincerity in his beautiful green eyes. The gorgeous vampire seems to be slightly surprised by his words and is quiet and motionless for a moment, taking her time to process Stefan's words and think about the true meaning behind them. Time Stefan patiently gives Rebekah, because he wants her to come to the same conclusion as he has, he needs Rebekah to understand how he feels. Stefan looks at her, with a soft expression in his eyes she can't quite place. She just knows that it makes her feel… what exactly? Rebekah can't really name it but it doesn't really matter anyway, she feels for him, she can't deny that. Even if she doesn't know what it is precisely, she's been on this planet long enough to know that Stefan's right.

It IS different this time, it is going to be different and they both now it. Last night was just about the sex. It was just two people, two vampires, giving in to their lust and instincts, it was about the physical pleasure, about distracting their minds and making their bodies feel good. About not caring.

But the time they spent together today showed that they DO care. They care about their family, they care about life and love. They care about each other. And right now, in this moment, they know that sex isn't going to be just sex, it's not going to be without emotions. It will be about comforting each other, being there for each other.

Caring for each other.

And so Stefan waits, he waits for her to reply to his question, his hands lightly on Rebekah's thighs, hers still on his chest and she understands why he asked her if it's okay to continue upstairs. Having sex in her bed doesn't mean anything on itself. But when it's not just sex, it's different, it will make it that much more intimate if they move to her bed. It'll mean that it's something more than just sex. When it's something more than sex, things could get complicated…

Rebekah smiles a soft smile and with a look in her eyes that mirrors Stefan's expression, she leans in to kiss him, catching his lower lip between her teeth and giving a careful tug at it, causing Stefan to chuckle quietly.

'Take me to bed Stefan.'

Stefan doesn't answer, he just smiles and wraps his strong arms around her body. Rebekah feels how he lifts her, one arm around her waist and the other one holding a leg that she wrapped around Stefan's body, before he vamp-speeds her upstairs and lays her down on her bed. Stefan lies down next to her and slowly they begin to undress each other. They make out while getting rid of their clothes. Their bodies are close, their hands tenderly exploring every bit of skin, rubbing and kneading and caressing all the sensitive parts that they know will make the other crazy with desire.

Finally Rebekah lets out a moaning plea: 'Stefan, please… need you'. She wants to feel Stefan on top of her tonight, wants to see the look in his eyes when he is buried inside her, his face radiating with pleasure. Rebekah gets comfortable on her back and pulls Stefan onto her body. She holds her breath as he smoothly enters her and Stefan squeezes his eyes shut as he gets overwhelmed by the feeling of their joined bodies. They start to move together when they feel ready after a minute or so and that's when they both realize how different the sex is this time.

Stefan moves slowly, going in all the way and then almost pulling out with every thrust. His lips find Rebekah's mouth and they kiss again. Rebekah wraps her legs around Stefan's back, pressing his body against hers and they both moan at the feeling of being so close. The magnitude of the feelings and emotions swirling around in their heads makes them unable to think straight. There's pain and comfort and there's sadness and happiness and pleasure; it's almost impossible to make sense of what they're feeling. All they can do is think about each other, right now, right in this moment where it's just the two of them when there's nothing else to focus on. And all they know right know is that they make each other feel things they didn't feel last night.

Rebekah breaks their kiss when Stefan increases the pace at which they're moving. She wants to look at him, watch his face and those amazing eyes as he comes. Stefan's face and body are sweaty and his face is contorted beautifully while he keeps moving to be able to give them both the release they're waiting. Rebekah can feel his muscles move under his skin, they're so tightly pressed together. To her, Stefan never looked as beautiful as in this very moment. Rebekah brings her hands up to his neck and leans her forehead against Stefan's, who gives her a small smile and Rebekah watches him as he thrusts a few more times before making them both moan and shudder in ecstasy.

They don't move for a long time. Stefan's face is buried in a pillow, right next to Rebekah's head. Stefan tries to calm himself down by taking deep breaths, which eventually seems to work. After a while, Stefan recovers enough to be able to move a little bit of his weight of Rebekah, she won't let him go far though, keeping his body in place with her legs and arms. So Stefan stays where he is, only moving his head so he can press his lips against her cheek and kiss her.

'I care about you,' Stefan whispers in Rebekah's ear.

She doesn't say anything back, but just as Stefan's about to doze off and go to sleep Rebekah whispers something in his ear.

'I care about you too.'


	4. Chapter 4

**So this little chapter was the idea of a friend. I decided to write it down, because it's something that I could see happening between these two characters and it fits this story. NOT M-rated! **

**Big thanks to all the people reading/following/favoriting/reviewing! **

**Please Review? I love hearing what you guys like/didn't like, would really mean a lot to me if you'd let me know if I should write more chapters?!**

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When Rebekah wakes up the next morning, the first thing her sleepy mind registers is that she woke up because she's cold. Stefan's body has been keeping her warm throughout the night and Rebekah immediately notices that his arms are not wrapped around her anymore. His muscular chest is no longer pressing against her back, making her feel safe. Cared for. Shielding her from the world.

The first thing she feels is disappointment.

Rebekah really thought that last night _meant something_. Too the both of them. They even confessed to each other that they cared about one another! And now Stefan snuck out. Again.

The second thing Rebekah feels is anger.

She's angry with herself, for letting Stefan in. For opening up to him. Caring about him and believing Stefan when he said he cared about her. _You'd think I would know better by now_, Rebekah mocks herself internally.

Rebekah sits up, peeling off the sheets that are sticking to her naked body as she tries to shake off the feelings of hurt and rejection, stemming from _caring._ That's when she realizes that there are sounds coming from somewhere within her home. Sounds and smells. She was just too caught up in her thoughts and feelings to register them. Rebekah frowns in confusion and then she focuses on what her vampire senses are telling her.

There is music, softly playing downstairs in her kitchen. Jazz, judging by the instruments used in the song that's currently playing. Rebekah smells food too, someone is cooking… something. She can't quite make out what it is, because of all the different aroma's flowing around in the air. One of the smells is very familiar to Rebekah though and as soon as she recognizes it, a smile creeps onto her face.

It's Stefan.

A feeling of warmth runs through the blonde vampire upon hearing the footsteps of the person walking around downstairs. Footsteps confirming her suspicion that it can only be Stefan in her kitchen. Rebekah then gets out of bed and tries to find herself something to wear so she can go and see what Stefan's doing. She looks around the room and sees that there are clothes spread out on the floor of the bedroom, tossed to the side as soon as they took them off the previous night, not caring where everything landed. Stefan's jeans and boxers are gone, but Rebekah recognizes his sweatshirt in a piece of fabric sticking out from underneath her dresser. _Interesting. That means he's not wearing a shirt_, Rebekah thinks with a soft smile. She hesitates for a brief moment, but then picks up the shirt and pulls it over her head, covering herself with Stefan's scent. Rebekah allows herself a second to simply stand there and breathe, reliving some of the events of last night. Shaking her head, as if to try and get herself back in the present, Rebekah puts on some underwear and makes her way towards the kitchen, following the sounds and smells coming from downstairs.

Stefan, of course, hears Rebekah when she enters the kitchen. He is standing at the sink, washing the frying pan he used to make the scrambled eggs and bacon now placed on the two plates on the kitchen counter. He feels that Rebekah is looking at him, but since he can't see her face, Stefan's wondering what she's thinking. He doesn't know how Rebekah feels about what happened between the two of them last night. She was emotional and vulnerable and they both had a drink so Stefan isn't sure if the blonde vampire, who's still silently staring at his back, feels the same as she did last night. When Stefan's done at the sink, he turns around to face Rebekah, suddenly feeling a bit nervous.

She's smiling.

'Good morning,' she says and Stefan notices how peaceful and happy Rebekah looks when she's smiling like that. He also notices she's wearing his shirt. A shirt that's barely covering her curvy behind, and he can see that Rebekah is pretty much wearing nothing else. This puts a smile on Stefan's face. _If she was angry at me or regretted last night, she wouldn't be wearing my shirt. _

'Good morning to you too. I hope you're hungry because I might have gone a little overboard.' Stefan frowns a little when he sees that he has indeed made enough eggs, bacon and toast for at least two more people.

'It's great, thanks,' Rebekah laughs as she sits down to eat her breakfast. She picks up her fork and starts eating while quietly watching and admiring Stefan naked torso, while he's focused on pouring some coffee into two mugs. 'All right,' Stefan says when he's done and places a mug in front of Rebekah, 'Here you go.' Stefan then sits down beside Rebekah and starts working on his own food, happy that Rebekah seems to be in such a good mood, just like he is himself. After a few bites he feels that Rebekah is still looking at him from the side.

'What is it?' Stefan asks her, putting down his fork and reaching for his coffee.

'I woke up and,' Rebekah hesitates before continuing, 'I thought you left again. But then I smelled the food and I heard you. It's just that… I guess I'm not used to people making me breakfast.' Rebekah blushes slightly when Stefan looks at her, his green eyes staring at her with such intensity that she can't help but look away. She clears her throat, trying to regain some composure and Stefan smiles at and looks away when he sees that Rebekah, the bad-ass thousand year old vampire, is acting all shy and awkward.

'I like the music,' Rebekah changes the subject, 'and this song, it's one of m-'

'It's one of your favorites, I know.' Stefan smiles a broad smile and then pretends to shiver in horror. 'I think I must've danced to this song a thousand times in the twenties. You just kept dragging me back onto the dance floor.'

'Hey! You could've just said _no_.'

'To an Original? Now that doesn't sound like a very smart thing to do,' Stefan smirks at Rebekah before taking another bite of his breakfast. She just rolls her eyes and tries to look annoyed, something she doesn't succeed in at all, because of the little smile lighting up her lovely face. Looking back at Stefan, she hesitates before asking the next question.

'What are you doing Stefan?'

'Teasing you about your taste in music?'

'No Stefan, I mean… Why didn't you leave like you did yesterday? What are _we doing?' _

Rebekah can't help but ask Stefan those questions, being a slightly paranoid vampire and all. She also wants to figure out what is going on inside that pretty head of his. So Rebekah remains silent for a few moments, watching Stefan think about what to say. He takes his time, which is something Rebekah has always liked about him. Stefan doesn't just give the answer that people want to get; he takes his time so he can answer as honestly as possible.

'I don't know. I woke up and I watched you sleeping for a while,' Stefan turns his head and looks Rebekah in the eye. 'I just didn't want to leave, that's all I know.' Rebekah's heart starts beating a little bit faster upon hearing those words, she searches Stefan's eyes, wanting to be sure that he's telling the truth. Stefan just keeps still, patiently waiting for her to finish evaluating and assessing his words. It doesn't take her long and then Rebekah smiles and leans forward to place a sweet kiss on his lips. At first her actions take Stefan by surprise, but when he feels that Rebekah is starting to pull away, he moves forward, keeping his lips connected with her beautiful mouth.

Rebekah immediately responds to his touch, opening her mouth for him eagerly. She lets her hands roam over Stefan's chest, tracing his muscles with her fingers. Stefan's hands are carefully holding her face, taking control over their kiss. He moans into her mouth and it makes Rebekah want him even more. Her breathing gets heavier as she pulls Stefan closer, needing more contact with his strong, sexy body. One of Stefan's hands moves to her leg, his fingers sneaking under the hem of her shirt, _his shirt_, caressing her thigh with slow movements that send shivers down her spine. Stefan tries to put all of his unspoken thoughts and feelings into this kiss, wanting to make sure that Rebekah knows that she's important to him, that he cares about her. Gradually, they ease down from the incredible high this unexpected but heated make out brought them. Rebekah breaks the contact between their lips and looks at Stefan, smiling a bit mischievously.

'Well, I'm glad you stayed.'

Stefan chuckles softly at her words, 'yeah me too.'

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**I'm currently kinda out of ideas for chapters.. suggestions are welcome!?**


	5. Chapter 5

**HI! Thanks again to everyone reading, reviewing, favoriting, following this story and giving me ideas! Really means a lot to me. (Special thanks to simbagirl, who's ideas triggered my inspiration again****)**

**Starting with this story, I planned to follow the events of the episodes, but I decided to not do that after I watched 4x15. Jeremy dying was just too depressing. So if you feel like some things in this chapter don't make sense completely, I know, but I'm the writer so I can do whatever I want XD.**

**Chapter= not M-rated, just thought I'd let you know and as always: PLEASE REVIEW?(really gives me a great feeling when I read about what you guys thinks)**

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After spending a rather relaxing and peaceful morning at Rebekah's place, Stefan reluctantly left to go and check in with the rest of the gang. He did kind of walk out on everyone the night before to see how Rebekah was dealing. And Stefan knows that he needs to stay on top of everything. If he doesn't keep track of everything, sooner or later someone is going to betray someone else. _The last thing we need is more people turning on each other._ The thought leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, because of all the things that happened to the people in this town, the people he cares about. Because of all the things those people have done to him, especially in the past year. To find the cure, they all need to stick together though, so Stefan decides to go to the Salvatore boarding house to find his brother.

Upon arriving at his house, Stefan sees that Damon's car is not in its usual place, meaning that he is probably out. Unless his brother suddenly decided to not block the driveway and actually put his car in the garage where it belongs, something Stefan seriously doubts. He walks through the front door and stands still in the hallway, holding his breath so he can focus on sounds coming from within the house.

Nothing.

Nothing that indicates the presence of other people or vampires. So Stefan pulls his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and dials his brother's number, who answers after a few seconds.

'Well hello _brother, _nice of you to finally check in with us.'

'Damon, where are you?'

'In the car with our friendly neighborhood witch, we're on our way to professor Creep to get some more information about this Silas guy. Kol seemed pretty upset whenever anyone would mention that name so it seemed like a wise idea. We talked about this last night, but maybe you had something else on your mind at the time?'

Stefan ignored that last remark, not wanting to worsen his already tense relationship with his older brother. 'Right. And Jeremy?'

'Elena and Jeremy are at home. Figured it was the safest place for him to be, since vampires can enter our house whenever the hell they want. Oh and vampire Barbie kind of convinced Klaus to not go on a killing spree but leave us relatively alone if Bonnie would release him.'

'Relatively?'

'Yeah well, I don't trust that he will just magically forget that we killed his brother yesterday do you?'

'No I don't trust him either.' Stefan sighs, 'All right, keep me updated?'

'Sure thing brother.' With that, Damon hangs up.

Stefan puts his phone back in his pocket and walks up the stairs towards his bedroom to take a shower and put on some fresh clothes. He barely makes it upstairs, before he hears the front door open and close and a familiar voice calls out: 'anyone home?'

Stefan walks back down towards the hallway, where his best friend is standing. The blonde vampire has her hands on her hips and her face carries an expression Stefan usually associates with Caroline organizing a pageant or a school dance or something. Slightly neurotic with a touch of panic and craziness.

'Caroline?'

'Stefan! I have been looking for you, are you okay?'

Stefan frowns as he approaches Caroline and stands still in front of her. 'Why wouldn't I be?' He starts to feel a little bit uncomfortable when his friend doesn't answer, which is worrying because Caroline usually can't help but talk, and instead studies his face intently.

'Caroline, are _you _okay?'

'What?!' She smiles apologetically when she realizes that Stefan asked her a question and is waiting for an answer. 'Right, sorry. Well I was just wondering how you were doing? You know, as your sober sponsor it's my responsibility to make sure you're okay. So are you? Okay, I mean?'

Stefan tilts his head slightly and studies her sweet smile. That, combined with her the look on her face, which is a little _too _innocent, tells him all he needs to know.

'You're fishing Care.'

She immediately drops the act and raises her eyebrows at him, giving him a challenging look. It's actually quite impressive, the way she can switch that easily to a different tactic. 'And _you're _deflecting.' Stefan smiles. He knows Caroline probably came here to talk to him about his thing with Rebekah. Not something he's looking forward to, so Stefan decides to continue with the deflecting approach. 'No. But I am going for a hunt, so…' He doesn't finish his sentence but simply walks towards the door. Stefan knows Caroline hates the animal diet, especially the hunting part, so it was the first thing that his brain could come up with in an attempt to postpone the inevitable conversation about a certain Original.

'I'll go with you,' and the innocent smile is back on Caroline's face in an instant.

Of course she wouldn't let him off the hook, it would be too easy.

'Fine,' Stefan growls at her, 'but no talking until I've had something to eat.' With that, he runs out the door and into the woods, knowing that Caroline will follow him. He runs for a couple of minutes, navigating his way through the dense forest at vampire speed. Stefan then focuses his attention on the things that he smells, soon identifying one of his favorite preys. A deer. When Stefan finally lets his vampire instincts take over, catching the animal is child's play. He tackles it, pushing it down to the ground. Stefan feels his face change. His blood pumps faster and then his fangs pierce the skin of the deer's neck. Stefan drinks for a while, only stopping when he feels the animal losing his strength. He pulls back, releasing the deer and wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt.

'So I spoke to Bonnie late last night and she told me about something very interesting that Damon said. About you and Rebekah, that is. As your friend I was concerned because it seems like you have lost your mind.'

Stefan lets out an exasperated sigh when Caroline starts rambling the second he finished eating. He gets up, turns around and sees Caroline, leaning against a tree a few feet away.

'Seriously Caroline? You're not even gonna give me a minute to breathe here?'

'You're dead Salvatore, so technically you don't even need to breathe.' She pushes herself away from the tree and walks to stand in front of Stefan. 'What are you doing with Rebekah, Stefan?'

Stefan had prepared himself for the inevitable argument with Caroline, expecting all sorts of accusations and speeches, but she surprises him. Her voice is soft; Stefan hears nothing but genuine concern and curiosity in it. He sighs and stares at a bird that is flying somewhere in the distance, as he takes his time to collect his thoughts and thinks of a way to put them into words.

'I called her after… after what happened at school. I asked her to work with me, so we could continue the search for the Cure, together.' Stefan sees Caroline frown at his words and cuts her off before she can interrupt him. 'I was still going to share the Cure with whoever wanted to take it, Caroline. I just wanted to make sure I was in control, so that I could make sure Elena got it. And I wanted it for myself too. I wanted to be sure that I had the option to take it.'

'The next day, Rebekah came to me with a plan to steal the headstone, to get the upper hand in finding the Cure, Rebekah and I went to Shane's office to try and find the thing and we spent the whole day together. I just… I realized that I had fun, with her. She reminded me of what we had in the twenties.'

'You weren't even yourself in the twenties Stefan.' Caroline tries to be patient and understanding, but Stefan can see how hard it is on her.

'You see, that's the point here. I_ was_ myself Caroline. This Ripper inside of me, it _is _a part of me, even if I hate it. It's me. And Rebekah, she gets that, she accepts that about me.'

'Okay, I get that. But that still doesn't answer my question: what are you doing with Rebekah? Was it like, a onetime thing? Are two dating?'

Stefan hesitates before answering. Saying sleeping with Rebekah was a onetime thing would be a lie, since it happened twice already. Besides, they admitted to care about each other last night and in addition to that, Stefan felt amazing this morning when he woke up and saw Rebekah lying there in his arms.

'I have a lot in common with her, Care. We're both miserable as vampires. We have brothers who make our lives even more miserable by taking the good things in our lives away from us, yet we can't seem to stop caring about them. We care too much,' Stefan chuckles, 'that's why I even slept with her in the first place, Rebekah told me to stop caring about what other people think. She told me to just do what feels good, like we did in the twenties. And you know what? Being with her feels good and I don't want to stop feeling good.'

Stefan feels a little bit self-conscious when he looks at Caroline again and sees that she's staring at him. After all, he's usually not someone who talks a lot and reveals much of himself.

As strangely talkative as Stefan may be, Caroline on the other hand is uncharacteristically quiet. If Stefan is being honest, Caroline's silence is kind of freaking him out.

'O. My. God.' Caroline finally opened her mouth to respond to his explanation, but Stefan is confused by her words.

'What do you mean "o my god", Caroline?'

'"O my god_"_, you're falling for her.'

'What? No I'm not. I just like being with her.'

'Oh you are _so _falling for her.'

'No, I'm not!'

'You so are. You say that you like being with her, that you feel like she understands and accepts you _and _you had sex with her. Come on Stefan, you're not the kind of guy that jumps into bed with random people. You must really like her.'

Stefan once again opens his mouth to protest and tell Caroline that she's wrong, only to realize that his mind is blank; there are no arguments, no ways to make Caroline see that she's wrong.

Because she's not.

'I loved her once, you know that?' Stefan whispers after a long silence, more to himself than to Caroline. 'I only stopped because I was compelled to forget her…'

'Look Stefan, I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable, okay? I'm just looking out for you and… I mean Rebekah did kind of kill Elena not that long ago.'

'No,' Stefan says slowly, 'no she didn't, she eliminated a potential threat to herself and her brothers, she protected her family. I can relate to that and so can you.' He looks at Caroline, who's still studying him intensely. 'I've killed hundreds of people Caroline; you think _I'm_ worth caring about, don't you?'

'Of course I do, you're my friend,' Caroline says while stepping closer to Stefan and spontaneously hugging him.

Stefan's arms come up to return the hug, a little bit surprised but at the same time feeling nothing but warmth and gratitude for Caroline and her support.

'You're amazing, you know that?' Stefan whispers in her ear, saying the things he feels he should've said a long time ago. 'The way you're always there for people, no matter what. I admire that about you.'

'Just following in your footsteps,' Caroline says, a smile appearing on her face when she hears Stefan's compliment. 'You reek of animal blood by the way, it's pretty disgusting.' With that, she pulls back to look at Stefan, laughing at the incredulous look on his face. 'I'm sorry, it's the vampire-smell-thing. I'm sure that to a human, your smell is delicious.'

'Oh thanks, that makes me feel all better,' Stefan says sarcastically but smiling at the same time.

'Any time.'

They walk back to the Salvatore house, talking for a bit more about the Cure and all the crazy things that happened in the past few months. They take their time, because it feels good to be able to be honest about everything, without risking getting judged or losing the person you're opening up to.

'So I gotta go, I told Tyler I'd meet him at his house at, well, now,' Caroline says when they reach their destination. She looks at Stefan, who is taken aback by the sudden seriousness and emotion in her eyes.

'From now on, you're going to tell me things Stefan. Understand?'

'I understand Caroline,' Stefan does his best not to smile.

'Even if it doesn't seem that important, I want to be able to be there for you and I don't like not knowing things.'

'You don't like not knowing things? Huh, didn't know you were such a control freak,' Stefan smirks at Caroline, who does her best to keep a straight face.

'Promise me.'

'I promise I'll tell you _things_, seriously.'

'Jerk.' Caroline gives him a look as if he offended her deeply by not taking her seriously, but then she smiles. 'Okay, I got to go Stefan. Behave and try not to get too distracted by Original Blondie and all the hot vampire sex, will you?'

'It's not like that Caroline.'

'Of course it's not,' Caroline says with a knowing smile and with that, she runs off and leaves Stefan alone with his thoughts.

Shaking his head, Stefan makes his way inside. For the second time that day, he heads upstairs, making his way towards his bedroom to finally take a shower. He turns on the shower and quickly takes off his clothes, stepping under the already hot water.

As the water falls down on his head, Stefan's mind wanders off. He thinks about his conversation with Caroline; talking about everything that has been bothering him felt good. Stefan feels lighter, somehow. The fact that Caroline sort of approved of his _thing _with Rebekah lifted a weight of his shoulders, a weight Stefan didn't realize he was carrying around. The only issue left is the pressing question of what exactly is going on between him and Rebekah. What is it_?_ Where is it going?

Stefan finishes his shower in a hurry, suddenly feeling the urge to dig up his journal and write everything down. He needs some clarity in his head, needs to make sure he sees things straight, before making any decisions. He dries himself off quickly, before putting on some sweatpants and sitting down at his desk. The moment he finds a blank page in the journal, he starts scribbling in the brown leather bound book, transferring all of his thoughts onto the paper. Page after page Stefan fills with his ramblings, without really getting an answer to the big question that he has been asking himself ever since his talk with Caroline. He knows something is going on between him and Rebekah, he may not be entirely sure what it is but right now, that is not the most important question.

The big question is: does he want to explore the possibilities of his _thing _Rebekah?

Frustrated that even writing doesn't give him the answer he is looking for, Stefan throws his pen on his desk and runs his fingers through his hair. He looks over at his clock, his mood getting worse when he sees that it's already five pm. and he's still as confused about his feelings as he was when he started writing a couple of hours ago. Stefan's sighs and is about to give up when suddenly, it hits him.

_Just do what feels good._

Again, it's like somebody switched on a light on in his brain, somehow that little sentence shows him how to go from here. Stefan feels fresh, completely reenergized. The only thing left, is to just go for it.

With an idea already formed in his head, Stefan sends a quick text to Damon, asking what time his brother expects to get home. It only takes Damon a minute to give him an answer. At the sound of his phone, signaling an incoming text, Stefan is fast to unlock it and read his brother's answer. Stefan feels relieved and happy after reading that Damon thinks he'll be with the professor for quite some time and that he's planning on going to the Grill after that. That means Stefan has the house to himself tonight. _Perfect_, Stefan thinks with a smile.

Now the hard part.

Stefan picks up his phone again and notices his sweaty hands and nervous heartbeat. It's makes him want to laugh, which might also just be another nervous tic. _Being nervous for something like this at a 164 years old is ridiculous._ Stefan takes a few deep breaths in a last attempt to calm himself down and scrolls through his contacts, hitting the "call" button when he finds the right number.

'Hello?' A female voice answers.

'Hey Rebekah, it's me.' Stefan swallows with difficulty, hoping this is going to go as he wants.'

'Stefan? What's going on? Something wrong?'

'No! No, everything is fine. I, uhh. I was just, uhh, wondering if you had any plans for tonight?' Stefan silently wishes he won't sound like such an inexperienced, nervous kid for the rest of this conversation.

'Why? You want to come over to my house again?' Rebekah teases him with a seductive voice.

'No, I was actually thinking... I mean… What do you think about dinner and a movie?'

'What?' Rebekah is really surprised, she really didn't expect this.

'Dinner and a movie. As in… A date. My house, just having dinner, watching a movie. You know, perfectly normal, human, teenager style. So uhmm… What do you think?' Stefan patiently waits for an answer. Rebekah however, remains silent for such a long time that Stefan starts to think that maybe this wasn't the best idea. He almost wants to open his mouth and tell Rebekah to forget about it, when she responds to his question at last.

'I think… That's a great idea. What time do you want me to be there?' The smile in Rebekah's voice is so obvious that it makes Stefan relax right away.

'Okay, great. Uh, let's say seven o'clock?'

'I'll be there.'

Stefan can't stop the broad smile that appears on his face as he hangs up the phone. Stefan realizes he's happy Rebekah said yes and it's then, that he know he made the right decision.

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**So...? Let me know what you think! Next chapter is obviously gonna be about their date:)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi to all of you amazing readers! **

**I apologize for not updating sooner, I had a lot of exams and other school stuff in the past few weeks and discovered that living on a diet of Red Bull and coffee does nothing good for one's creativity(or ability to fall asleep XD). So a special thank you to all of the people still following this story and I hope this chapter makes up for the looooooong wait.**

**As always, I hope you'll enjoy reading it and please leave a REVIEW. I really love criticisms/feedback, your opinions really matter to me.**

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After hanging up the phone, Stefan goes downstairs to the kitchen, hoping to find a few thing s he can cook with. Being Italian, pasta is of course one of Stefan's go-to meals, and he always makes sure he has the ingredients for it in the house. Damon never really bothers to buy groceries or cook, probably because he thinks he's above such mundane human tasks, so Stefan is hopeful he'll be able to find everything he needs for a decent meal. Stefan is relieved to see that everything he needs is there.

When things are mostly prepared for dinner, Stefan heads upstairs to his room, to change out of his sweatpants and do his hair properly. Choosing something to wear proves to be quite difficult. Stefan knows what he's doing; he's being obsessive. It's one of his unfortunate, amplified vampire traits, his need to do things perfect, to do things right. Even if it's just simple things like cooking or picking out some clothes for a date. After another minute or two of pondering the question of what to wear, Stefan pulls out some light blue jeans and a plain black shirt. After buttoning his shirt and fixing his hair, Stefan walks downstairs, waiting for Rebekah to arrive.

Rebekah discovers that being a badass Original vampire and having a thousand years of life experience is useless when it comes to preparing for a date. She's looking forward to it, obviously. She was having a great day already and Stefan calling to ask her out, made it even better. When Rebekah heard the way he was stuttering, hesitating, trying to find a way to formulate his question, all Rebekah could do was smile like an idiot and think about how adorable Stefan is when he is nervous.

But now, Rebekah's the one who's freaking out. Going on a date is a big step for her. Going on a date, means dating someone, being in a relationship. Relationships mean feelings and feeling something, for anyone, has never ended well for her. With a few deep breaths, Rebekah wills herself to calm down. After all, this is not just anyone, it's Stefan and she knows he'll never hurt her if he can help it.

Rebekah holds on to that thought as she leaves her house.

It's a little before seven when the doorbell rings. Stefan makes his way from the kitchen towards the door and opens it.

'Wow,' it's really the only thing Stefan can say when he sees Rebekah.

Of course Rebekah is always beautiful and not just in an _if-you-watch-from-the-right-angle_ kind of way, but in an obvious way. Tonight, however, Stefan is sure he's never been more speechless upon seeing Rebekah. She's wearing a simple navy blue dress that ends mid-thigh. The color looks amazing on her and the soft fabric clings to her body in all the right places, showing of her amazing curves. Rebekah's heels don't look very comfortable, but they do amazing things to her legs. The long blonde hair surrounding Rebekah's face is curly and Stefan is pleased to see she's practically wearing no make-up; he's always thought that she doesn't need it.

'Is it also normal for teenagers these days to undress each other with their eyes, even before letting the other one in?' Rebekah can't help but smile when she sees her outfit definitely has the desired effect on Stefan; he has a look in his eyes that is equal parts lust and amazement.

That's a look Rebekah doesn't mind seeing when Stefan's looking at her.

Stefan clears his throat, trying to mask both the fact that he's speechless and the blush creeping onto his face. 'Forgive me my lack of manners miss,' Stefan says in a playful tone, before stepping aside to let Rebekah in the house. 'You look absolutely beautiful,' Stefan says more seriously once he's closed the door behind Rebekah. Rebekah smiles and takes in Stefan's appearance for a few moments, 'well, you don't look so bad either.' Stefan doesn't respond with words, he simply steps forward and gently kisses Rebekah's lips while cupping her face with both of his hands. 'I missed you today,' Stefan whispers against Rebekah's lips when they both pull back.

'You saw me this morning Stefan.'

'I know that, I still missed you though.' Stefan doesn't wait for Rebekah to respond, but simply takes her hand and leads her towards the kitchen, where he motions for her to sit down at the already set table.

'Dinner is almost ready, I'm afraid it's just pasta though, nothing fancy. I didn't really plan to cook for you so I had to improvise.' While talking, Stefan quickly checks the pasta sauce and then grabs a bottle of red wine. 'Wine?' He asks Rebekah, who nods yes and Stefan pours some wine into her glass before returning his attention to the food on the stove.

'So how did you come up with this idea for a date?' Rebekah asks, taking a sip from her wine and admiring Stefan's backside. Rebekah decides that there aren't many views better than what she's looking at in that moment.

'I just thought this thing would be complicated enough without having to worry about anything else but us, so dinner and a movie seemed like a good place to start.' Stefan smiles faintly, 'plus I know how you'd like nothing more than to be a normal teenager and dinner-and-a-movie is kind of a thing for teenagers nowadays.'

Rebekah smiles at his words and takes another sip of her wine. Stefan's thoughtfulness is one of the things she likes most about him. It's a quality that she's always admired; even when he was drinking blood and killing people in the 20's, it was something that he couldn't seem to turn off. Of course Stefan wasn't very thoughtful towards his victims, but he was towards her and even her brother. It was something Stefan couldn't turn off, not even when he was in such a dark place. No matter how hard he tried, Stefan always cared about something or someone.

'Thank you, Stefan.'

Stefan turns around and looks at Rebekah for a few seconds, trying to read her expression. Rebekah hopes he can see it. That she's not just saying thank you for this date, but also for being there for her these past few days, for caring enough about her to want to be happy.

And he does. He's good at reading her, always has been. Stefan finds everything he needs to know right there in Rebekah's big blue eyes. He nods, to let Rebekah know he understands what she's trying to say. Then Stefan grins, 'oh it's my pleasure,' he says letting his eyes roam shamelessly over Rebekah's body. Rebekah rolls her eyes in response, but Stefan just laughs at that and announces the food is ready.

It's easier than the both of them expected it to be, dating that is. They know each other well of course, so they're both comfortable with the other. Stefan and Rebekah keep the conversation light over dinner, not talking about brothers or exes and not trying to define what it is what exactly they are doing.

Stefan managed to find some ice cream for dessert. He grabbed two spoons, but they kind of end up just using one, taking turns to feed one another, stealing quick kisses in between.

When Stefan offers another bite to Rebekah, he almost misses her mouth, on purpose of course, making sure there is ice cream above her upper lip.

'Oh, that's nice Stefan, now I'm covered in ice cream.' Rebekah moves her finger up to her mouth, moving to clean it off.

'I got it, don't worry.' Stefan moves forward quickly, licking the melted ice cream away. He kisses Rebekah then; once, twice, before setting the ice cream aside on the table and deepening the kiss.

Rebekah smiles at Stefan's not very subtle move. She moves her lips with his and the sweet taste of ice cream mixed with Stefan sends a jolt of pleasure down her spine. She runs her fingers through Stefan's hair, holding him as close as possible. It isn't until a few minutes later that the kiss slows down and they eventually pull back. Rebekah feels the skin on her back, where Stefan's hands were just moments before, tingle and burn at the loss of contact. Both are breathing heavily and looking slightly dizzy as they look into each other's eyes.

'How about we watch that movie another time?' Rebekah manages to get out once her breathing is almost back to normal.

Stefan nods. 'Are you sure?' He wants nothing more than to take Rebekah to his bed, but he just wants her to be absolutely sure about it. About them.

Rebekah doesn't answer Stefan's question, she just smiles and kisses him. Deciding that that's a good enough answer, Stefan stands up and scoops Rebekah up in his arms, carrying her upstairs.

Afterwards, Rebekah lies on her front, both her body and mind seem to have been taken over by a strange sensation. It is making her feel light as never before and extremely heavy at the same time, though it is not a . It took Rebekah a few minutes to recognize it, but now that she has, she has a feeling the silly little smile currently decorating her face will become permanent.

She's happy.

And it is because of Stefan.

She has her face turned to the left, where Stefan is stretched out on the bed. He's on his side, his head popped up on his hand. His attention is focused on his other hand, which is tracing patterns along Rebekah's neck, shoulders and naked back. Rebekah studies Stefan's face as he is silently studying her body with both eyes and fingers. The intensity of his gaze is making Rebekah smile; he looks like a child experiencing something new.

Stefan moves his hand to the side of her body and slides it down along Rebekah's ribcage. Her skin is smooth and warm and soft and it amazes him.

She amazes him.

Stefan never thought he would ever feel this happy, lying in bed with any other woman but Elena. If anyone would've told him a few weeks ago, he would've laughed and probably would've thought that person was insane. But right now, right here in this moment where it's just him and Rebekah, Stefan lets himself have hope again.

Stefan's fingers travel further down Rebekah's side, when suddenly she tenses and ever so slightly pulls away from Stefan's touch when he reaches a particular spot.

'Are you ticklish?' Stefan asks. His fingers stop exploring and still on Rebekah's waist. He looks at Rebekah, reading her face like an open book as always and it is obvious that she's trying to keep her reaction hidden. While he watches her react to his touch, a wicked smile appears on his face.

'I didn't know that!' Stefan's is genuinely happy to have discovered something new about Rebekah, something that he didn't get to find out during his Ripper days. He can't quite explain to himself why but it feels good to have this as a memory that's not contaminated by the fact that he enjoyed killing people like he did back then.

'I'm _not_ ticklish,' Rebekah says in a defensive tone, hoping Stefan will let it go.

Maybe it wasn't such a smart idea to lie though. Upon hearing her denial, Stefan immediately tickles her again. And this time, Rebekah is not able to control the reaction of her body. She lets out a very uncharacteristic squeal when Stefan's fingers scratch and tease that sensitive part of her skin.

'Stefan stop it!' Rebekah laughs and pushes his arm as far away from her body as possible. It's moments like these that being an older, and thus stronger, vampire comes in handy.

Stefan chuckles, 'that'll teach you not to lie.' His smile fades as he stares in Rebekah's, he leans forward and impulsively places a soft kiss on the area where he tickled Rebekah. It's a gesture so disarming and tender that it changes the mood from playful to serious in an instant and renders Rebekah completely speechless. That simple little gesture seems to break through the remaining parts of the walls Rebekah so expertly build up over the centuries. Walls that she didn't even realize she had.

Walls that Stefan has been breaking down with the same kind of expertise, ever since she came back to Mystic Falls all those months ago. Brick by brick and layer by layer has he been working his way through, until he reached Rebekah and made her care again. Suddenly, Rebekah has trouble breathing; it feels like a lifetime of feelings comes crashing down on her at the realization that she really cares, making Rebekah feel like an enormous weight is pressing down on her chest. It both startles and terrifies her when she feels tears burning behind her eyes. Quickly looking away from Stefan, not feeling ready for him to see her so vulnerable, Rebekah blinks rapidly and takes a few deep breaths to get her emotions under control. There are a lot of images and thoughts flowing around in her head; her brother dying, the intensity of her feelings for Stefan and simply feeling so close to someone after being alone for such a long time, is a lot to digest and it makes her feel a little out of control.

That's not a feeling Rebekah is comfortable with having.

'Sorry,' Stefan whispers, having picked up on her change in mood as he always does.

Rebekah shakes her head, her face still buried in Stefan's pillow. _Damn vampire emotions._ 'It's not…I'm just being stupid,' Rebekah says in a barely audible voice, trying to regain control of her emotions.

'Hey, no, you're not. But usually I'm the brooding one, so this is an interesting change,' Stefan says in an attempt to lighten the mood.

'I've become like that too.'

'Like what?' Stefan asks, carefully pushing a few of the curls that are blocking Rebekah's face from his view behind her ear with his hand and then getting back to caressing Rebekah's back.

'You know…_caring_.'

'That a bad thing?'

'I thought so,' Rebekah says, finally looking Stefan in the eye and feeling like she probably could drown in the depths of those amazing green eyes of his. 'But I'm thinking… Maybe… It's actually good.'

Stefan can't help but smile widely at Rebekah's admission, even though she herself seems conflicted about whether or not it's something to smile about. He knows why she's so uncomfortable with voicing her feelings for him. Because that is what it was; a way of letting him know that she really cares about him, even if it was such an indirect way. Stefan also knows she's probably more afraid than he himself is. Afraid of the consequences of caring.

Afraid of the pain.

Stefan silently promises that he will do everything in his power to keep her from getting hurt again. Then, he moves forward and kisses Rebekah, who eagerly responds after a few moments and then pushes Stefan on to his back so she can move to straddle his hips.

'Mmmm…Agree, definitely good,' Stefan murmurs making Rebekah smiles in response.

'What is? Me caring or me being naked and on top of you?' Rebekah whispers in Stefan's ear, before leaving a trail of kisses along his jaw and working down towards his neck.

'Both,' Stefan's chuckles but it really just comes out as a moan when Rebekah sucks at a particular sensitive spot on his neck. Rebekah smiles against the skin of Stefan's neck, enjoying the fact that she still remembers all the ways to make him crazy with want. Rebekah moves further down Stefan hot body, licking and kissing Stefan's exposed skin as she goes. Rebekah takes her time with him, so by the time she moves her attention to where Stefan wants her to, his arousal is already evident.

'Shit,' Stefan hisses with his eyes shut tight when Rebekah starts stroking him, making him feel like he's already close to coming. Stefan tries to relax, hoping that will help him, but he already knows that he won't be able to control himself if Rebekah keeps doing what's she's doing.

Knowing that she has the ability to make Stefan feel the way he does now, gives Rebekah an amazing feeling of power. Stefan is moaning, breathing heavily and it's obvious that it's all because of what she's doing to him with her hands. Rebekah watches Stefan's face; his eyes are still closed and Rebekah suddenly feels the need to get back at him for tickling her. Without warning, she bows down and takes his erection deep into her mouth.

Stefan's eyes fly open at the warm, wet sensation and he can't control the upward movement of his hips. 'Fuck! Rebekah, stop… Feels too good…' Stefan manages to say while gasping for air.

Rebekah just hums teasingly in reaction, knowing the vibrations will drive Stefan even crazier. She sucks lightly for a few moments to make Stefan groan, but then releases him from her mouth.

'_That_ was for tickling me Mr. Salvatore,' Rebekah laughs.

'If that's your way of punishing me, I'm never gonna stop tickling you,' Stefan answers with a grin and he pulls Rebekah down so he can kiss her.

As their mouths find each other, Rebekah moves her legs to either side of Stefan's hips so that she can guide Stefan into her warmth. They both cry out with pleasure at the feeling of him sliding against her inner walls, filling her gloriously. Rebekah starts a slow but steady rhythm so that she can continue kissing Stefan. She keeps this up for a long time; every time she senses that Stefan's getting close, Rebekah slows down to prolong this moment of pure bliss and when she thinks it's 'safe', she moves faster again.

Stefan enjoys the feeling of being one and he enjoys watching Rebekah ride him, but the slow pace is like torture to him at this point. So when Stefan feels like he can't wait any longer, he flips them both over so that he's now on top of Rebekah, who doesn't seem to mind that he's taking control. Stefan starts moving faster, thrusting into Rebekah's body with more force than before and she takes all he has to give, moaning and screaming until she finally reaches her peak, a little before Stefan does.

A few moments before Stefan feels that he's about to find release, he feels his face change and his fangs pierce through his gums. He doesn't want that side of him to be a part of this moment, Stefan wants it to be about him and Rebekah and nothing else, so he hides his face against her neck and jaw, planting soft kisses there in the hope Rebekah's still too blinded with ecstasy to have noticed anything. He moves in and out of Rebekah a few more times, before he finishes with a loud groan.

After a few minutes of catching his breath, Stefan rolls onto his back and pulls Rebekah close. She rests her head on his chest, right over his heart. They lay in a comfortable silence until both of their breathing completely returns to normal.

'You know, you don't ever have to hide that part from me.'

Stefan was deep in thought, but upon hearing the sound of Rebekah's voice, his body tenses up.

He knows exactly what Rebekah is talking about. _Shit_, Stefan thinks. He hoped that Rebekah hadn't noticed him vamping out. 'I'm sorry about that.' When Rebekah doesn't answer, Stefan looks down and sees that she's looking at him with a strange expression. 'What?' He asks.

'Why are you sorry?' Rebekah pushes herself up on her elbows so she can take a better look at Stefan.

'I just wanted it to be you and me in that moment, you know? Nothing else.'

'But that was you Stefan. You're just so used to suppressing that part, that you don't remember that.' Stefan closes his eyes. Images of all the people he murdered over the years go through his mind, all those bodies… All that blood…

'Hey.' Rebekah's voice and her hands on his face, force Stefan to abandon his guilty thoughts and return to the present. He looks at her, Rebekah looks serious and full of sympathy. 'I'm okay with it, it's not like you can hurt me or anything.' Rebekah smiles reassuring, 'I am pretty strong you know.'

This causes Stefan to smile a little. 'I'm just not used to it being okay if I lose a little bit of control. I've been on, and of, the animal diet for a long time.' Stefan hesitates but continues in a whisper, 'It's been hard, these past months, to control myself. I don't really show it, but sometimes I get really worried… That I'll mess up, for good.'

They are both silent for a few minutes after that, both thinking about Stefan's words.

'You know,' Rebekah swallows, suddenly feeling a little insecure about what she's about to say, but the urge to help the man that helped her in so many different ways, pushes her to continue. 'There is a way for you to learn to control drinking blood, without risking anyone's life.'

Stefan sighs, 'I've already tried everything.' Rebekah can't stand the tiredness in his voice. Stefan sounds defeated, which makes Rebekah feel defeated in a way too.

'Drink my blood.'

The words hang in the air between them and Stefan is silent for so long, Rebekah begins to wish she could just take back what she said.

'You'd do that for me?' The surprise in Stefan's tone is almost painful to hear. Rebekah hates the idea that Stefan doesn't think it's normal for anyone to help him that he doesn't think he deserves someone who'll do anything to make his life a little easier.

Rebekah smiles at him, but instead of answering Stefan's question, she decides that her actions will speak louder than words. So Rebekah pushes her hair away from her neck, exposing the delicate skin to Stefan, who is watching her with an expression Rebekah can't quite place…

Stefan brushes his lips over the thin layer of skin separating him from the thing he craves most.

Blood.

The thought of drinking blood right from the vein is enough to make Stefan's fangs descend and his face to change. Stefan's mouth goes dry at the thought of the warm, rich, salty liquid sliding down his throat, making his thirst unbearable and he feels how he slowly but surely, loses his control.

'It's okay Stefan.'

Rebekah's whispered encouragement is what pushes Stefan over the edge and the next thing he's aware of is the taste of her blood in his mouth. An indescribable mix of sensations takes over Stefan's entire body. He feels one of his hands in Rebekah's hair while the other one hugs her tight to his body in an attempt to be even closer to her, like his body unconsciously wants to feel the same thing his mind is experiencing right now.

Rebekah gasps when Stefan sucks at the small puncture wounds on her neck and starts drinking her blood. It's one of the most pleasurable, erotic things she's ever experienced in her thousand years of living. She's never let anyone drink her blood, not like this anyway. Not even when Stefan and her when together in the 1920's. The reason Rebekah never let anyone drink from her, is that it takes a certain amount of trust and until now, she simply didn't trust anyone enough to let herself be this vulnerable. Her skin seems to be on fire, but it is not an unpleasant feeling. It's more like Rebekah is able to feel more because of it, feel more of everything that is Stefan. His body, his warmth, his smell and his touch.

Rebekah realizes that she's never felt safer.

Stefan vaguely registers that he's at the point where he has to stop drinking or he'll risk killing the person he's drinking from, with humans that is. To know that the person he's drinking from now can't die is a huge relief. It helps Stefan relax in a way he's never been able to do during feeding. It's just him and Rebekah, everything besides the blood is erased from Stefan's mind, causing him to keep drinking and Rebekah doesn't stop him, even though she feels her body losing some of its strength.

_You promised yourself that you wouldn't ever hurt her._

Stefan immediately pulls back when he remembers thinking about that earlier on the evening, about how he never, ever wanted to hurt Rebekah. Stefan feels his face change back right away when he looks down at Rebekah. Her neck has already healed, the only evidence that Stefan ever bit her are the few drops of blood that are drying on her skin. She's smiling.

'I knew I could trust you.' Rebekah feels proud of both herself and Stefan. She'll never really understand his struggle with blood, but that doesn't mean she can't help Stefan with it. Cupping Stefan's face with one hand, Rebekah moves in to kiss him softly on his lips.

'How do you feel?'

Stefan is not really sure how to answer that question because there are so many things he's feeling right know. But they're all good things, that much he can tell.

'I feel great.'

The smile Rebekah beams at him is so wide and bright that it could've lit up the whole town. 'I'm glad.' Rebekah turns around so she lies on her side and pulls Stefan close so that he's spooning her. It is a little after midnight and they're both feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

Rebekah dozes off quickly, but Stefan has a harder time trying to get to sleep. He struggles to figure out what it was exactly that made him stop drinking Rebekah's blood and more importantly; how did his face change back so fast? Was it just remembering his promise? Was it the knowledge that he could never kill her because she's an Original?

It isn't until Stefan finally falls asleep about an hour later, that his barely conscious mind provides him with the answer.

It was love.

* * *

**So… what did you guys think? I personally wasn't sure about the whole blood sharing thing, but a friend of mine suggested it so I put it in mostly to make her happy ;-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone!**

**I was planning on updating sooner, but obviously I didn't… Sorry about that! As always: huge thank you to all of you who are reading/following/favoriting this story, means so much to me! **

**I would love you guys even more(if that's even possible) if you could take a sec to leave a review!(Am I too obvious about begging for reviews?XD)**

**Non M-rated chapter, but for those of you who like that sort of thing, next chapter will have some M-rated material, I promise XD**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Stefan wakes up first the next morning, feeling warm and content. A feeling that is magnified when he looks at the girl he is still holding in his arms. Stefan doesn't wake Rebekah up, he is perfectly happy just lying here, just listening to her deep, even breaths. Stefan leans forward, hoping it won't wake Rebekah up, and nuzzles her hair, taking in the fresh, sweet scent that has always been Rebekah's.

At the first sign of Rebekah moving, Stefan tightens his hold on her, unwilling to let her move away. To let her break the spell of this peaceful moment.

'I was just going to turn around so I could kiss you good morning, you know.'

Rebekah smiles when Stefan is silent and still for all but on second, before nonchalantly saying: 'well, that's okay I guess.'

Rebekah feels that Stefan's grip on her body loosens a bit, so she rolls onto her other side so that she can look at him. She kisses Stefan sweetly and languidly, hoping that in that kiss, Stefan will sense all the happiness she's experiencing in this very moment.

'Hi,' Rebekah says when she pulls back to look at the beautiful man, inside and out, before her. She takes in his still sleepy puppy dog eyes and the way his normally perfect hair is sticking out in some places. Rebekah decides then that a just-awake Stefan is the most adorable thing she's ever seen.

'Hey,' Stefan smiles back at Rebekah. He lifts his hand to push some blonde curls behind her ear and let's his hand come to a rest on her neck.

Where Rebekah let him bite her last night.

Stefan's mind immediately goes back to that moment. The high from making love to Rebekah – _again, _Stefan thinks with a little smile – talking about his problems with the bloodlust and then Rebekah offering to let him drink from her.

Bloodsharing is the most intimate thing two vampires can do, even more intimate than having sex. You literally share a piece of yourself with another person. That requires a great amount of love and respect, but above all trust.

Stefan wonders if they should talk about it. He knows that they both understand what bloodsharing means. Stefan knows they can't really go back, that there's no way to undo the bond they formed over the past week.

Or did he always have this connection with Rebekah? And is it only now, when he lets himself remember how much he feels for her, that he realizes that?

Rebekah is still watching Stefan. The butterflies in her stomach come to live upon seeing that incredibly sexy, shy smile of his. The feeling becomes even stronger when Stefan brushes some hair away from her face and lets his hand rest on her neck. After a few moments though, Stefan's smile falters and Rebekah notices the distant look in his eyes and the frown beginning to form on his face.

'You're brooding,' Rebekah says while covering Stefan's hand on her neck with one of her own.

'Sorry,' Stefan feels a little guilty for changing Rebekah's mood from happy to serious

'Don't be. Just… tell me what you're thinking?'

'I was just thinking about this, us, and last night.'

'You were frowning,' Rebekah states, still carefully watching Stefan. She's looking for a reaction, a sign, anything that will tell her if Stefan regrets this.

If he regrets her.

'Just a little bit confused I guess,' Stefan whispers.

'Do you regret any of this?' Rebekah asks, knowing the hesitation in her voice is evident; she's not sure if she wants to know Stefan's answer.

'No. I don't. I think that is why I'm confused.' Rebekah smiles at Stefan's reappearing frown; he wears the confused look well, he looks adorable.

'So where do we go from here Stefan?'

'I don't know. I mean, I want this. Us being together. If you want that too, of course.' Stefan is nervous about voicing his thoughts and feelings. Even though he has to admit that it's been a long time coming, he never had a lot of luck when it comes to relationships. _The last girl I fell in love with ended up breaking my heart…_

'It's not going to be easy though,' Rebekah's voice brings Stefan back to the conversation and he smiles a little. 'No, it's not,' Stefan agrees, staring into the beautiful blue eyes of the girl before him, trying to read what she's thinking.

'Stefan?'

'Hmm?'

'I want this too. Us being together.'

Stefan doesn't answer, thinking they've already done more than enough talking for today. Instead Stefan decides to just kiss Rebekah.

It's not long before the sweet, emotional kisses change direction and turn into a heated make-out. Stefan savors the taste of Rebekah, enjoying every moment of her warm mouth moving against his.

Just when Rebekah rolls onto her back to relax and enjoy Stefan's strong hands on her body and caressing her breasts, they are interrupted by the ringtone of Stefan's phone.

Stefan lets out a low groan upon hearing it, sounding somewhere between aroused and disappointed.

'Leave it,' Rebekah moans in Stefan's ear.

'Can't,' Stefan says with a husky voice, 'could be about the Cure.' He reluctantly pulls away from Rebekah, who immediately misses his warmth. Stefan reaches for his phone on the nightstand.

Stefan's brow furrows when he sees who's calling him.

'Any idea what your brother might want from me?'

Rebekah looks surprised, 'Niklaus? No idea.'

Stefan sits up and answers the call.

'Klaus.'

'Stefan, mate. How are you on this fine morning?'

Rebekah, who's listening to their conversation too, rolls her eyes. The look on her face says: _like he cares._

Stefan does his best not to chuckle and just answers: 'fine Klaus, what do you want?'

Klaus laughs softly, clearly amused that this phone call seems to bother Stefan.

'Now that you mention it; there is something I would like to talk to you about. Would it suit you to meet me at the Mystic Grill in, shall we say; twenty minutes?'

After looking once more at the very beautiful, very _naked_ girl in his bed, all Stefan wants to say is _no._

Unfortunately saying "no" to Klaus is about the stupidest thing anyone can ever do, so Stefan says "yes" instead. He breaks the connection, and tosses away the phone while letting out an exasperated sigh that makes Rebekah giggle.

'I sense some frustration Mr. Salvatore. Would you like to talk about it?' Rebekah looks all innocent and sweet but Stefan can see the twinkling in her eyes and the way she bites her lower lip to keep from laughing at him.

'You think this is funny, huh?' Stefan's attempt to sound angry fails as he can't hold back a chuckle.

'I _really_ just wanted to stay here in bed with you this morning,' Stefan lightly shakes his head, knowing that that's not going to happen now. Knowing he is going to have to leave soon, he drags himself out of bed and walks to his closet to find himself some clothes.

Rebekah blushes at his words, her mind goes back to the feeling of Stefan's hands on her breasts just minutes before and she grows more frustrated with her brother by the second. _Why did Nik have to interrupt this?_ Rebekah doesn't say it out loud though, choosing to focus on something else instead.

'Well... There's always this afternoon,' Rebekah says, letting her eyes roam over Stefan's perfect body as he gets dressed.

'Yeah? You're still going to be here this afternoon then?' Stefan asks while pulling a sweatshirt over his head.

The hopeful edge in his voice doesn't go unnoticed by Rebekah.

'Maybe that knowledge will be enough of a reason to wrap up your conversation with my brother as quickly as possible,' Rebekah teases.

In response, Stefan sighs deeply. 'Like I need a reason to do that,' he mutters under his breath as he buttons his pants and pulls on his shoes.

'I doubt Niklaus expects you to hang out and chat with him all day, so you'll be alright.' Rebekah tries to reassure Stefan, but maybe herself too. As stupid as it is, Rebekah knows she's going to miss the comfort of being in Stefan's presence.

When Stefan is finished with getting dressed and fixing his hair, he walks over to his bed, where Rebekah lies on her stomach, wrapped up in only a white sheet. She looks absolutely breathtaking.

Stefan kneels down in front of Rebekah so their eyes are at the same height and he can see the happiness within them. He's pretty sure the look in his own eyes is similar to hers, for he has not felt this content and happy in months.

'So you're going to stay here? Because I really want to finish what we started,' Stefan playfully tugs at Rebekah's hair.

'Hmm, I'm not sure. Maybe you should convince me?'

Stefan just smiles at her playfulness, kisses Rebekah and, when they break apart, asks her again if she'll stay.

'Absolutely.'

Satisfied with her answer, Stefan gives Rebekah one last peck on her lips. Then, he gets up, grabs a jacket and heads out.

'Little early in the day to be getting drunk isn't it?' Stefan has no clue as to why he is here and he thinks it's probably best to keep the tone of the conversation casual and as friendly as possible. Stefan slaps Klaus on the shoulder and takes a seat at the bar, next to the Original vampire, who doesn't acknowledge Stefan presence until he's taken another sip of his drink.

'Well since I'm a vampire and it takes a lot of time to get drunk, I figured I'd better start early.' Klaus' mood is a little bit…off. Although Stefan doesn't necessarily think it's because of him, considering he's just walked in, and that makes him both relieved and a little curious.

'Rough morning Klaus?' Stefan dares to ask with a small but clearly amused smile. Klaus just shoots him a nasty look, empties his drink and motions for the bartender to give him another one.

'Well, since you brought it up; I did happen go over to my sister's house this morning. I was concerned about her state of mind after are dear brother Kol died, so I wanted to see how Rebekah was doing. I found myself in an empty house, which I found very peculiar, and I was curious about her whereabouts. So I summoned you here because I was wondering if you have any idea as to where she may be, Stefan?'

Stefan just stares at him as the realization of why Klaus wanted to talk to him today starts sinking in; he is lost for words. The entire situation is just unbelievably ridiculous. The big, bad original vampire that has been terrorizing the planet for over a thousand years, that has always made a point of being one of a kind and above any behavior that might make him seem normal, was going to give the _big brother talk_.

After a minute of silence, Stefan finally tears his eyes away from Klaus and waves at the bartender. 'Yeah, I'm gonna need a glass of whatever it is he's drinking,' Stefan says, pointing in Klaus direction.

'Of course,' the bartender nods and walks away.

Klaus has an amused smile on his face when Stefan turns towards him once again.

'Well, I guess that sort of answers my question, doesn't it mate?'

'What do you want to hear Klaus? I mean, is this just about knowing where Rebekah is? _Or_ is there anything else you're curious about?' Stefan is annoyed and he knows that it shows on his face, but he can't help it. His relationship with Rebekah is something he just wants to keep to himself for now. It's hard enough to figure out what his feelings for her are exactly, without everybody else having opinions about it.

'I want to know if you're going to treat my beloved sister the way she deserves to be treated Stefan. Or is she just going to end up with a broken heart again?' Klaus speaks in a smooth, casual voice that Stefan knows all too well; it's the most dangerous voice there's ever been.

It's the voice Klaus uses to make threats.

Stefan stays silent for a while, thinking about a way to navigate through this conversation without saying more than he, or Rebekah, will be comfortable with sharing. Luckily the bartender returns with his drink, so Stefan buys himself some time, focusing on taking a sip before carefully putting his glass down.

'Look, this really isn't any of your business, but I'm not… playing Rebekah. I'm not… using her to make myself feel better or anything, it's not like that.' Stefan looks Klaus in the eye then, wanting to make sure the Original vampire can read the sincerity of his words on his face. 'I really care about her and we want to make this work,' Stefan hesitates, 'but it's complicated, for both of us and I would appreciate it if you could just back off for a bit, while we're figuring it out.' Stefan feels a little bit uncomfortable, vulnerable even, telling Klaus about him and Rebekah. It makes him feel insecure and to cover that up, he takes his drink and finishes it in one swig.

Klaus is still looking at him; Stefan can see him smirking from the corner of his eye.

'To get back to my question: I take it my sweet sister was indeed with you this morning?'

'Yes, Klaus she's been with me,' Stefan answers with a sigh as he rolls his eyes, 'we had dinner at my place last night and she ended up staying. Which explains why she wasn't at home this morning.'

'That is quite fascinating Stefan. Because I could've sworn that only a few months ago you were convinced there would only always be one girl for you… And that wasn't Rebekah.'

'Well if you hadn't compelled me to forget Rebekah ninety years ago, it would've been her all along and I wouldn't have wasted my time with others.' The words leave Stefan's mouth without thinking about it, but it is only when he hears them himself that he realizes how true they really are. That doesn't stop him from being shocked; _do I really feel that way about Rebekah? _Stefan wonders. _Do I really think she's the one for me?_

As much as Stefan wants to take a moment to think about that, Klaus won't let him off the hook that easily.

And indeed, when Stefan looks at the man next to him, he sees that Klaus is smiling one of his famous evil smiles. 'That is a very interesting piece of information you so bravely shared Stefan. Interesting… for everyone.' Whatever the reason, Stefan sees that Klaus is very pleased with himself.

_That can't be good for me, _Stefan thinks to himself.

'Wait,' Stefan just now processes the words, spoken by Klaus. 'What do you mean _everyone_?'

Klaus says nothing, he just briefly looks at a certain corner of the Grill before focusing on his drink once more.

Stefan follows his gaze and it's not long before he finds the reason for Klaus amusement. Sitting in a quiet corner of the Grill are three girls.

Caroline, Bonnie and Elena.

And judging by the looks on their faces, they have been listening to Stefan's conversation with Klaus.

Great.

Stefan looks at Klaus again. 'You knew they were listening, didn't you?' Stefan asks, not even bothering to hide his anger and annoyance. Klaus just smirks and Stefan really doesn't feel like hanging around any longer, so he gets up. 'You can pay for my drink Klaus,' Stefan nearly growls at him before turning around to leave the building.

From the corner of his eye, he can see that he's not the only one getting up to leave. Elena is standing up, even though both Caroline and Bonnie appear to try and convince her to sit back down.

'O joy,' Stefan mutters sarcastically, not even caring if Elena or anyone else can hear him.

Elena calls his name when he's just outside the Grill. 'Stefan, wait!'

With a deep sigh, Stefan reluctantly turns around.

'What?' Stefan doesn't have the patience to deal with Elena right now, he is pissed at Klaus and he just really wants to go home and see Rebekah.

'What was that about with Klaus? Are you seriously seeing Rebekah? You do remember she tried to kill me.' Elena looks confused and Stefan can see that she won't understand it, even if he was willing to explain it to her.

Which he is not. At least not right now.

'Elena, would you please just let it go?'

'How can you say that Stefan? I mean...How can you even be around her after Rebekah did what she did? I really don't think-'

'Let me tell you how this whole breaking-up thing works Elena.' Stefan feels his emotions getting the best of him and he cuts her off before Elena can finish her sentence. 'It means that we don't have to take each other's opinions and feelings into account anymore. I don't have to listen to what you want from me. Whatever you think about my decisions, doesn't mean anything to me anymore. It doesn't matter. Now, I can just do what feels good.' Stefan smiles a little as he says the words he's been replaying in his head, ever since Rebekah said them.

'And being with _Rebekah_ is what makes you feel good?! How is that even possible?!' Elena's angry and annoyed expression turns into a frown after a few moments. 'You've been acting different lately. Did Rebekah trick you or compel you or something? ' She asks, suddenly looking concerned.

Stefan is lost for words, he doesn't even know if he should feel angry, annoyed or just sad that this is what has become of his relationship with Elena.

'What makes you think that? Because you think it's impossible for me to want to be with anybody but you?' Stefan meant for it to sound angry, but at this point he feels more sad than anything else. He is looking at the girl standing before him, the girl that he was once so happy with… and realizes that she really is gone. This Elena is more self-centered than Stefan could've ever imagined and he feels sorry for her.

'Can you please just leave him alone Elena?' Caroline has come out of the Grill, obviously having heard their argument. Bonnie's following behind her and looking concerned at the two angry vampires before her.

'How can you say that Caroline?! Rebekah tried to _kill_ me!' Elena snaps at Caroline.

'Yes, she did, and Damon tried to kill me. And Bonnie. And Jeremy. But that obviously never mattered to you.' Caroline takes a deep breath in order to keep calm and not snap at Elena. 'It would be really hypocritical of you to be mad at Rebekah while you've let Damon get away with worse. Plus, I just think we should support Stefan, since Rebekah has helped him be happy again this past week. I think that's really worth something.'

'How do you…Wait, did you know Stefan was seeing Rebekah?' Elena looks angry again and Stefan is worried about it. Vampire emotions are very strong and anger is an emotion that can easily make humans do stupid things, let alone vampires.

'Look, Elena-' Caroline says calmly in an attempt to explain herself but Elena won't listen to her.

'So you told _him _about me and Damon, but you didn't think to tell _me_ about _Rebekah_!?' Elena all but yells at her.

'Elena-' Caroline tries again.

'No, Caroline. I don't want to hear it, I'm going home,' and with that, Elena walks away. Stefan can see how angry Elena is as he watches her go; it's pretty obvious in her body language.

Caroline and Bonnie are watching her too. Caroline has a sad look in her eyes that tells Stefan she's thinking exactly what he was thinking earlier; how different Elena is.

Bonnie seems more concerned with the state of mind her friend is in. Her eyes meet Stefan's for a moment. Stefan nods, understanding that Bonnie wants to go after Elena to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid, like accidentally killing someone whilst being upset.

'I just can't believe how much she's changed you know?'

Stefan focuses his attention on Caroline once again; she's frowning and there's still a sad look on her face as she watches the girl that was once her best friend walk away in the distance.

'Becoming a vampire can change a lot of things,' Stefan sighs and rubs Caroline's arm, trying to comfort her a little bit.

'She was okay though, when she was with you…Even after changing. She was herself. But w-when she started pushing you away…' Caroline doesn't finish her sentence and she doesn't have to, Stefan already knows what she was going to say. They are both standing there in silence for a moment, thinking about the time things weren't as complicated as they are now.

'I'm happy for you though.' Caroline smiles up at Stefan, who just narrows his eyes at her and in a fake-angry voice says: 'so you were eavesdropping _too_ huh?'

'Uh, yeah! What else was I supposed to do when you were right there, talking about your new… _friend_?'

'Do you think I'm crazy?'

Caroline seems a little surprised by his question but she tries not to show it. She shakes her head. 'No, I don't think you're crazy Stefan, like I said: I'm just happy for you.' Caroline opens her mouth to say something else, but she hesitates.

'What is it, Caroline?'

'Stefan, can I ask you something?'

'Yeah, sure.' Stefan is both confused and curious about the serious look in Caroline's eyes.

'What if the sire bond will somehow, magically, be broken and everything Elena feels for Damon turns out to be fake and disappears. If she asked you to go back to her, would you? Because if you think that you would, everything that you're doing right now- and I can't believe I'm even saying this- isn't fair to Rebekah.'

Caroline's words are followed by a long silence and for once, she doesn't break it but simply waits for Stefan to answer.

'I honestly don't know,' Stefan whispers. The situation Caroline just described, makes him feel overwhelmed; he hadn't thought about a scenario like that and the fact that he doesn't have an answer confuses Stefan even further; didn't he think of Elena as the love of his life a few months ago?

Caroline smiles softly at him, seeing the struggle in his eyes.

'I think that's a clear enough answer.'

Stefan knows what she's telling him, even if Caroline isn't saying it out loud.

_If you can't answer that question with a yes, Elena's not the one for you._

'So how's hot was the vampire sex last night?'

Stefan's gives Caroline an incredulous look and then bursts out laughing. That's what has always amazed him about Caroline; even with all the supernatural drama, she's still able to think about the stuff most teenager think about.

'Goodbye Caroline,' Stefan turns around with a smile and walks away from her.

'Come on Stefan, you're my friend! You're supposed to give me all the dirty details about your sex life!'

'I'm a guy Caroline,' Stefan whispers, knowing Caroline will hear him anyway, 'guys don't give details about their sex life.'

'No, but guys brag about it.' Stefan can hear Caroline laughing quietly when he shakes his head but doesn't answer. Right now, Stefan is just eager to get into his car and head home.

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**Thanks for reading! **

**XXX**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys!**

**First of all: sorry for keeping you waiting sooooo long, I know I promised to update after I finished my exams July 11th. The chapters for both of my stories were for about 90 percent done when I heard the news about Cory Monteiths death and since I was a huge fan/admirer of his, I didn't feel like writing until now. I actually want to say some other things about it, but I'll do that at the end of this chapter so you amazing people can start reading ASAP :)**

**Chapter has some M-rated material ;)**

**ENJOY!**

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Stefan's head is full of thoughts and feelings on the drive back to the Salvatore boarding house. He isn't aware of his surroundings. His body seems to be on auto-pilot, doing everything that's needed to drive the car, so that Stefan is free to let his mind wander.

His conversation with Elena has left him confused but at the same time strangely calm. Maybe it was exactly what he needed to finally get closure, to realize that everything they had and everything they were, is gone.

Now he can really move on.

And if there's one thing Stefan is absolutely sure about, it's that, waiting in his room, is the girl he wants to move on with. Stefan smiles at that thought, happy that for the first time in a long time his head is not a place of confusing and contradicting emotions anymore.

As Stefan pulls up to the house, he notices Damon's car, indicating that his brother has come home. It makes Stefan feel a little bit guilty that he's been pretty much absent for these past few days. He was just a little too busy with Rebekah and sorting out his feelings.

Or as Damon likes to call it: brooding.

'Damon? You home?' Stefan closes the door behind him, while focusing on the sounds coming from within the house, trying to determine whether or not his brother is there. But even before Stefan finishes speaking there's a gush of wind and the person he's been looking for stands before him.

'Hello brother.' Damon says this with his trademark smirk. 'Nice of you to finally show up.'

'Find anything out from the professor about the Cure?' Stefan walks past Damon and into their living room as he shrugs out of his jacket.

'Yep, there's an island and the professor says we can find it there.'

'Do you trust him?' Stefan throws his jacket on the couch and turns around, once again facing his brother.

'I don't trust anyone, which is why I need you to hold down the fort when me and professor weirdo go there to take a look tomorrow.'

Stefan feels worried upon hearing Damon's plan. 'You sure it's a good idea to go alone with Shane if you don't trust him?'

'I'm sure I'll be fine if I can count on you to keep everything quiet around here.'

'Sure,' Stefan nods absentmindedly, still worried about his brother's safety even though he knows Damon is very capable of taking care of himself.

'Yeah?' Damon asks with a devilish smile, 'you're sure you won't get … distracted?'

Stefan stares at Damon, it takes a few moments for him to realize what Damon's talking about.

'Did Elena call you?' Stefan asks unconsciously looking away from his brother and crossing his arms in front of his chest in an undeniably defensive gesture.

Damon's playful smirk disappears and when Stefan glances at the other vampire, he can see the anger on his brother's face.

'What the hell are you doing with Original blondie?!'

Stefan just smiles. He seems unable to stop himself from smiling whenever he thinks about Rebekah.

'Moving on,' Stefan says over his shoulder as he walks away from Damon.

When Stefan opens his bedroom door, he can hear and smell Rebekah before he even sees her. He catches himself grinning like an idiot when he thinks about all of the great memories he created with this girl in the past few days.

Rebekah is lying on Stefan's bed, dressed in just a pair of panties and one of Stefan's shirts and reading one of his many books. Rebekah didn't know how long Stefan was going to be gone so when he left for his meeting with Klaus, she figured she might as well get comfortable.

'You are back soon; I hope you didn't storm out when my brother was still talking to you. Niklaus doesn't appreciate it when people do not listen to what he has to say,' Rebekah says to Stefan without looking up from her book. When Stefan doesn't answer, she eventually looks up.

Stefan is still standing in the doorway, leaning against the doorpost and looking at her with one of his beautiful wide smiles that Rebekah doesn't get to see nearly as often as she'd like. But it is the look in his eyes that leaves her speechless. Big green eyes are staring at her with such intensity that Rebekah feels her cheeks heat up and feels the need to look away from him.

'Are you okay?' Rebekah asks Stefan once she's found her voice again. She's trying to gauge his mood, which she happens to be very good at but Stefan is a little bit harder to read and he also tends to have a lot of emotions at once; that makes it harder for Rebekah to be sure.

Stefan doesn't answer, but silently walks over to Rebekah and bends down to give her a sweet kiss on her lips while simultaneously taking the book out of her hands. Stefan closes it and puts it down on the mattress next to Rebekah, who is now looking at him with curious about what Klaus said or did to cause Stefan to behave this way.

'What did my brother want to talk about?'

Again Stefan doesn't respond, he shakes his head, hoping Rebekah will take the hint; he doesn't want to talk about it now. Stefan feels like there are more important things to do than talk. Finishing what they started this morning, for instance.

'Come take a shower with me?' Stefan whispers as he takes Rebekah's hand in his. He helps her to stand up from the bed and guides her into his bathroom. Stefan knows that he has to tell Rebekah about Klaus and Elena. And about what Damon found out about the Cure. His new found realization that he has completely moved on from Elena and is a hundred percent ready to be with Rebekah however, makes him want to take a moment and be close to Rebekah.

After Stefan turns the shower on, he and Rebekah take their time undressing each other. Stefan's intense stare makes Rebekah feel vulnerable, like he is looking right through her. If it was anybody else standing before her in such an intimate moment and looking at her like Stefan's does, Rebekah would've averted her eyes.

But with Stefan, it's different, it has always been different. Rebekah wraps her arms around Stefan's neck and presses her lips against his. His response is eager and immediate. Opening his mouth to deepen the kiss, Stefan walks both of them backwards, in the direction of the now warm shower.

The mix of sensations is dizzying. The hot water and steam around them. Wet, open-mouthed kisses, hands aggressively exploring every part of the other one's body. Stefan groans when Rebekah's hands instinctively pull him closer. The pressure feels amazing and arouses him, making him hungry for more. Stefan gently pushes Rebekah against the shower wall, and starts kissing and nipping at the sensitive skin of her neck, feeling very smug when the action elicits a moan from Rebekah.

'Stefan…' Rebekah pants in his ear. It's the closest she comes to forming a sentence with Stefan's hands and mouth distracting her in such a delicious way. She just hopes that Stefan understands that she's begging him for more.

Stefan of course, is happy to give her more. While still enjoying the taste of Rebekah's skin, he blindly reaches for some soap and pours a generous amount on his hands. Stefan claims Rebekah's mouth with his own before working the rest of her body with his hands. He touches every part of her body, except for the place she really wants him to touch her. Stefan soaps up her arms and shoulders, before slowly working down her body. Rebekah moans into their kiss when Stefan massages her breasts and teases her nipples and Stefan reacts by pushing his body more firmly against Rebekah. She can't suppress the shiver that runs down her spine when Stefan's hands move down over her stomach, but just before his hands reach the place Rebekah so desperately wants them, no, _needs them,_ Stefan moves them behind her and starts rubbing her back with his soapy hands. Rebekah makes a frustrated sound upon realizing that Stefan is going to make her wait longer.

'Patience,' Stefan whispers softly in her ear and Rebekah can't help but admire his control. She tries to be patient for the next few minutes as Stefan caresses her back, tickles her sides by lightly scratching with his finger nails and lets his hands wander over the other parts of her body he didn't touch before. Stefan really enjoys the effect he has on Rebekah and that she feels comfortable enough to let him take control. He's also getting impatient, being completely aroused but doing nothing to fulfill his need for release is not something his body seems to agree with. So Stefan doesn't draw out the foreplay much longer, the need is just too strong, for both of them.

'Stefan, please,' Rebekah moans again, 'I want you.'

Growling low at that comment, Stefan finally gives in to his need and slowly slips a finger inside Rebekah, finding her completely wet and ready for him.

Rebekah closes her eyes at the feeling and leans her head back at the shower wall, enjoying the pleasure Stefan's expert fingers are giving her.

When Stefan thinks Rebekah is more than ready for him, he removes his fingers and replaces them with his hardness. They moan together at the intense pleasure radiating trough their bodies. Rebekah wraps one of her legs around Stefan, giving him more room to move and allowing him to enter her deeper. Stefan grabs her leg to pull her closer and puts his other arm around Rebekah waist to help her keep her balance. They start moving together at a slow pace and alternate between kissing each other and staring into each others' eyes as they gasp and moan together. Soon, Stefan picks up the pace and thrusts faster, rougher into Rebekah. She holds on to Stefan even tighter, loving every second of their coupling and this more aggressive side of the usually calm and collected Stefan Salvatore. Rebekah hisses and moans as she feels her orgasm approaching rapidly and as on cue, Stefan lets go of her waist and uses his free hand to pleasure her. Rebekah's body begins to tremble as she reaches her orgasm with the help of Stefan's fingers, making it hard for her to keep standing up straight. Stefan notices it and tightens his grip on Rebekah, all the while thrusting into her, driving her higher and higher. He moves in and out of her a few more times before he too releases with a loud groan.

They stand like that for a long time. Bodies pressed together, water falling down on their heads, just enjoying the fact that they are with one another in such a wonderful moment.

Then Stefan starts talking. He tells Rebekah about his conversation with Klaus, his argument with Elena, the confusion he felt afterwards and then the liberating feeling of finally being able to fully move on and e. He figures Rebekah heard what was said between him and Damon, but decides to be thorough and tell her anyway. When Stefan is done, he waits for Rebekah to react.

'You know, I think I finally understand.'

'Hmm?'

'Why you brood so much; there's too much going in that pretty head of yours Mr. Salvatore,' Rebekah says with an affectionate smile.

Stefan chuckles, 'there's one more thought I want to tell you about.' Stefan swallows, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. Rebekah picks up on the change in Stefan's attitude and she pulls back from Stefan's body, just enough to be able to look at his face.

'What thought would that be?'

'I love you.'

Seconds go by as Rebekah desperately tries to both figure out how she feels about Stefan's confession and come up with the right response. But then she realizes that she doesn't need to _think _right now, she just needs to _feel. _

'I love you too.'

* * *

**Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and don't mind me writing another, probably veeerrry long author's note. Because like I said, I want to take a moment and talk about one of my hero's Cory Monteith who, like most of you will know, died on July 13th because of an overdose. First of all, I can't even begin to imagine what his loved ones are going through and I'm very sad that they have to experience something so horrible.**

**Second of all, I was pretty shocked about some of the reactions of people following his death. There were a lot of people on the internet saying things like 'he was weak' or 'it was his own fault because he chose to do drugs'. There was also this one person on Youtube who said that everybody has to stop calling Cory a hero, because 'heroes are brave and selfless and Cory wasn't'.**

**I personally couldn't disagree more. I don't think a hero is somebody who lives a perfect life and doesn't make mistakes; how could we possibly learn something from somebody who doesn't make mistakes? **

**I first saw Cory a couple of years ago in this interview in which he talked openly about his struggles with drugs. To talk about your secrets, your worst mistakes on TV, just so you can help others or keep them from making the same mistakes, is extremely brave and selfless. And the more he talked about his addictions, the more I recognized myself in his story, but it was the first time ever that I heard someone talking about addiction without making me feel like I should be ashamed. **

**It was also the first time that I realized I wasn't alone and that changed my life. **

**Cory did that for me, without even knowing it. He saved me, saved my life by talking about addiction and making sure that people know they're not alone. **

**I've always felt like I owed him for what he unknowingly did for me(and probably many others) and when I read all of those negative comments about him, I was really mad. Then, I realized that they were comments from ignorant people who don't know anything about addiction and that it was wrong to be mad at them for not knowing something.**

**So, to honor Cory and thank him for everything he's done, I want to tell you guys a few things about addiction, since he is no longer here to do it himself.**

**To the non-addicts who read this: first of all, never start doing drugs, because once an addict, always an addict. You'll struggle with it for the rest of your life and it's not worth the short-term happiness the drugs give you. **

**Second of all, addicts are not by definition weak people and no addict 'chooses' to relapse or OD. Addiction is a psychological disorder, just like ADHD or anorexia etc. If you don't understand how someone could possibly relapse or OD, I once met this guy, who had this great way of explaining to non-addicts what being a junkie is like: **

''**Imagine not having eaten anything for two weeks; you're starving, you're in pain, you're body is screaming at you that you need to eat. You'd do **_**anything**_** to get some food. Now imagine somebody throwing you in a room completely filled with all of your favorite foods and telling you not to eat anything… How long do you think you'll last?''**

**To any addicts (or people struggling with other problems)reading this I just want to say: You. Are. Not. Alone. There are a lot of people who can help you, who understand you, and I happen to be one of them, so if you ever need somebody to talk to, send me a PM. **

**It was very hard to write this, it's even more vulnerable than I thought it would be, but if there's a chance that I can help somebody with sharing a little bit of my story, then it'll be worth it.**

**This is just how I see things btw, I'm not trying to get anyone to agree with me. I'm simply trying to make people realize that they can't judge something they know nothing about. That doesn't just apply to addiction, but to a whole lot of other things: religion, sexual orientation, culture etc.**

**Thank you guys so much for reading this and supporting my story.**

**And thank you Cory, for everything you've done to try and make this world a little better.**


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